Guard Duty for a Ghost
by D3athrav3n92
Summary: Only one person knows what happened the night of October thirty-first...but he's dead.
1. Dead!

**D3ath: Okay, I know, this is terrible, but I really couldn't help it! The plunny just kept gnawing at my brain until I started writing it down! I just had to write a new story! But I hope you guys enjoy! I don't really like Naruto's plot, but I love the characters, so I'll be tweaking things along the way.**

**Disclaimer: NO.**

**Guard Duty for a Ghost**

_By D3athrav3n92_

**Chapter 1**

It was rather startling to see him standing at the memorial stone with such an expression on his face. It was somber, solemn, and for once, he wasn't even crying like he usually did. He was dressed in black slacks, shoes, and the traditional black, long-sleeved shirt that most shinobi wore, instead of his usual blue outfit, and his goggles were nowhere in sight.

He looked up, frowning at the sky. "It's one of the saddest days of my life, and it has to be sunny?" he murmured, glaring in the general direction of the sun. Slowly, he brought his gaze back down, and mismatched eyes stared at a name on the memorial stone, one of them a gray-filled black and watering slightly, the other pitch black. The young teen reached up, and rubbed at the gray one carefully, not wanting to irritate it further. He winced slightly, and brought his hand back down, his eyes never moving from one name:

Hatake Kakashi.

It made him angry. Kakashi wasn't supposed to die, he was a Jounin! He was the best out of them, and if anyone were to die, it'd be him, Obito! The "Failure of the Elite Uchiha Clan" as the silver-haired bastard had once put it.

Uchiha Obito ground his teeth in frustration. Dammit, it was all his fault that Kakashi had died. If he hadn't pushed Obito out of the way of that large boulder, he would be still alive. It would have been Obito that had died, not Kakashi. Obito was scowling tremendously as he thought of this. He owed his life to the bastard, with absolutely no way to pay him back.

"Obito-kun?" Obito blinked and looked to his right, all angry thoughts dispersing. Rin stood beside him, a sad expression on her face. She wore a slim, black dress that fit her very well, but Obito didn't pay attention; he was more focused on the small, weak smile that she presented him. Even if it looked more like a grimace, it still made Obito smile slightly in return before he turned his gaze back onto the memorial stone.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, her voice wobbling slightly.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"And how's your eye? Is it okay?" Ah, the inner medic in Rin was coming out. He knew better than to say it wasn't bothering him. Medic nins didn't take to lying very well, especially if the liar was their patient.

"It still stings a little," he admitted, reaching up again and rubbing at it. He didn't mind having Kakashi's half-blind eye. It was better than having both of his eyes intact and Kakashi not being able to see in his last, final moments. And, ironically, the eye, after it had recovered from the cut, wasn't totally blind like everyone thought it would be. The eye wasn't as good as his normal one (if he closed his right eye, everything was hazy and dark), but he didn't care. He still gave Kakashi a gift, and that's what mattered.

Rin fell silent, staring at Kakashi's name on the memorial stone. "What do you think Kakashi-kun's doing now?" she inquired softly, her sad brown eyes never leaving the small inscription on the stone.

"I bet he's yelling at us right now, telling us to go train." They turned to see Namikaze Minato standing behind them, a forced smile on his face. His blonde hair and blue eyes were a far contrast from the all the black he was wearing. "Or probably throwing kunai and jutsus at the angels."

Rin and Obito traded glances before bursting out into laughter.

"He-he p-probably attached e-exploding notes to a few," Rin gasped, laughing so hard that she had to double over, clutching at her stomach.

Obito was in hysterics.

However, after a few minutes of chuckling and giggling, Rin and Minato noticed something; Obito wasn't laughing anymore. Rather, he was now kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He hunched over, and pounded at the grass.

"It's my fault!! If it weren't for me, he'd still be alive!!" the raven-haired teen shouted, tears pouring from his eyes. "If he hadn't—!!"

"We'd have lost you, Obito-kun," Rin sniffed, tears now rolling down her painted cheeks. Obito fell silent, and Minato's forced smile disappeared, his bright blue eyes sad.

"You owe your life to Kakashi-kun," the blond Jounin said, crouching beside Obito and placing a large, calloused hand on the teen's black head. "The best way to pay them back is to fully live the life given to you. I don't think he'll be too happy if you rot away and visit him so soon after his death." At this, both teens gave their mentor a watery chuckle, and Minato gave them a real, genuine smile.

"Let's go get some ramen," Minato suggested kindly, helping Obito up and holding his other hand out to Rin. She nodded and grabbed the appendage, a small smile on her face. And, a few moments later, they disappeared in a flash of yellow, brown, and black.

* * *

It was extremely quiet at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, and it seemed like everyone, save for the ramen chef, didn't want to approach the mourners. In fact, as the three ate from their bowls, they received several pitying glances from the others.

Obito didn't care. He didn't even notice them. He was too focused on his thoughts right now to even say anything about it. Minato and Rin also seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as they quietly ate.

Obito set his chopsticks down, and stared at his empty bowl.

Minato and Rin paused, in the middle of eating, to look at the Uchiha in concern and confusion.

"What's wrong, Obito-kun?" Obito turned, and mismatched grey and black met worried brown. Rin blinked slightly, taken aback by the sheer amount of determination in his gaze. His fists clenched, and he nodded grimly.

"I'm going to become as good as Kakashi, you'll see," he declared, his expression hard. "Even better than the bastard."

Minato stared at him for a long moment before a smile broke out onto his face. "Excellent." He finished off his bowl as well, and stood up. "Hurry home and get changed. We'll start now." He glanced at Rin. "You can join too if you want, Rin-chan." Rin looked up, and a smile crossed the girl's painted face. She stood up too.

"Hai! For Kakashi-kun."

* * *

"James, I think you need to come look at this!"

"What is it, Lily?"

"Looks like a body of some sort…"

"Stand back, Lily, he's still alive."

His eyes snapped open, and he jumped to his feet, several kunai in hand as he stared at the two people standing before him. They both looked started at his sudden movement, and were pointing sticks at them. Instinctively, he checked the amount of chakra they had, and was surprised to find that it was all jumbled together and messy, like most civilians.

Hatake Kakashi relaxed a little. "Who are you? Where am I?" he demanded, studying them. Their images were imprinted into his brain for some reason, and he blinked slightly. "What happened?"

One of the people, a tall, black-haired man with glasses frowned. "Are you a Death Eater?" he demanded in return, gripping the stick in his hand a little tighter.

Kakashi put his weapons away, frowning. "I don't know what these eaters of death you're talking about. Never heard of them in Konohagakure."

The female, a pretty redhead with green eyes relaxed slightly, and had Kakashi thinking of Minato's fiancé, Uzumaki Kushina. Pretty, but extremely dangerous.

"Hold it, Lily, he might be lying," the black-haired man said, and Kakashi scowled.

"Well, can you at least tell me how I ended up..." the memory of a rock fall crossed his mind, and he paled as he recalled one falling on top of him, and Rin transplanting Obito's eye. "Where's a mirror?!" he asked harshly, his eyes fixed on them.

Lily pointed to the side shakily, and they watched as the silver-haired teen darted forward with unimaginable speed, stopping in front of the little mirror in Harry's room.

Kakashi gasped and stumbled back, severely shaken. His image in the mirror did the same thing, only that one of the eyes, his left eye, was red with the Sharingan.

He sat down, clutching at his head. "So it's true…" he said weakly, not even noticing the two civilians cautiously approach him. "I really did die…"

"So you're a ghost?" Lily asked, before turning to the man beside her, "James, I don't think he's a threat anymore."

James frowned, but lowered the stick in his hands.

Kakashi, feeling the strain of the Sharingan on his chakra, tried to turn it off like Obito could. He frowned slightly when the strain didn't disappear, and instead opted to close his left eye. Immediately, the strain disappeared. Slowly, he turned and rummaged about in his pack, and pulled out his Konoha headband, draping it across his left eye in order to keep it shut.

The redhead named Lily kneeled in front of him, frowning slightly. "How did you die?" she asked, and Kakashi swallowed.

"Was on a mission, pushed a friend out of the way—" Kakashi cut himself off, blinking slightly. Obito _was_ a friend, wasn't he? A true friend, and he was glad that he had given up his life for the Uchiha, no matter how annoying he was. "—Got crushed by a falling boulder."

Lily gasped slightly and put a hand up to her mouth. "Are you okay?" she asked, and James beside her snorted.

"Well, he's dead, isn't he?" he joked weakly, and Lily swatted at his arm.

"Where am I?" Both adults looked at the silver-haired Jounin, slightly wary.

"You're in Godric's Hollow, Britain." Lily answered, ignoring the slight glare from James.

Kakashi stared. "I have no idea where that is," he said. "Do you know where Fire Country is?"

James started and stared. "No way! You're from there? That continent has been blocked off for the last five-hundred years! It's called the Hidden Continent for a reason, you know."

"So…where is that in relevance to here?" Kakashi demanded, slightly worried now.

James waved a hand, all thoughts of death eaters gone. "Half-way across the world."

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great, just great," he muttered.

"I know it's a bit of a shock, but…" Lily hesitated. "Are you okay? Do you want some food or something?"

"Lily, he's dead, he doesn't need any food," James said, grinning now that the teen wasn't a threat to them. Or so he thought. "Do you want to come downstairs? You're welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"Thanks," Kakashi replied curtly, his mind whirling. Was he sent here for a reason?

The crying of a baby suddenly rang out in the room, and Kakashi jumped, drawing his kunai again.

Lily made an exasperated sound, a smile on her face. "Oh, a lovely time for you to wake up," she said, crossing the room and approaching a crib. She reached in, and picked up a baby with bright green eyes and messy, jet-black hair. "Look, Harry, we have a guest," she cooed, walking back to Kakashi.

Kakashi shifted nervously. "Is he your son?"

"Of course!" James swelled in pride. "Best boy in the country!"

"I see." It was obvious that James was proud of the baby, and distantly, he wondered if this was how his father had acted when he was young, before that disastrous mission.

"We didn't introduce ourselves, did we?" Lily glanced at her husband, and he nodded. She smiled and held out a hand. "I'm Lily Potter, nice to meet you."

"Hatake Kakashi." Without thinking, Kakashi reached out to shake her hand, and they both jumped as their hands touched.

"Wait, I thought you were dead!" James exclaimed, surprised. Kakashi stared at his own hands, confused.

"Well, let's stop talking about this dying business," Lily said briskly, her frown on her pretty face. "James, introduce yourself."

"Ah, right." James held out his hand, shaking the "ghost's" hand. "James Potter, and this is our son Harry James Potter."

"Let's go downstairs, shall we?" Lily asked, holding her year-old baby against her shoulder.

Both males nodded, and they followed her out of the room, down to the kitchen. Kakashi cast a single eye on the house as they walked down the stairs. It was neat and orderly, with several _moving_ pictures on the walls (much to Kakashi's surprise--he almost stabbed one with a Kunai when it called out to him). He even happened to spot an owl sitting on a perch in the small glipse he was given of the family room before they stepped into the kitchen. The kitchen, like the rest of the house, was very tidy, with sparkling counters and several pots and pans laid out to dry.

"So," James said when he sat down at the kitchen table, a large, solid oak thing with carvings running up and down its legs. "What is the hidden country like?" Kakashi could see a hungry gleam of curiosity in the man's hazel eyes, and decided to play it safe.

"They're dangerous," he said simply, ignoring the small flash of disappointment on James's face.

"How so?"

"We're at war with another country right now," Kakashi said, scowling slightly at the thought of Iwa nin invading Konoha.

James's face darkened, as did Lily's. "We're at war, too," he said quietly, "against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

"Who's Lord Voldemort?" Kakashi asked, propping his elbows onto the table while Lily bustled around the kitchen, her movements tense as she made tea.

"He's a dark wizard that's trying to take over Britain," James said, leaning back into his chair and pushing his glasses up, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Right old pain in the arse, he is."

"Wizard? They aren't real," Kakashi frowned.

James grinned at him. "Neither are ninja," he pointed out. Lily smacked the back of his head.

"They're in the movies all the time, James, and they existed in Japan several hundred years ago," she said curtly, placing a cup of tea in front of them both. "Here you go."

James raised an eyebrow, and settled back to watch Kakashi drink, to see what would happen.

'_He's a lot like that crybaby failure,'_ Kakashi thought irately as he picked up the cup. _'Just a little more mature.'_ And, not wanting to disrupt the traditions of Hatake men, he quickly pointed. "Look, a Death Eater!"

Both James and Lily spun about, their sticks in their hands, and when they saw nothing, they turned back to Kakashi to see his mask firmly in place and the cup empty. He bowed slightly. "Thank you for the tea."

James stared, before bursting out into laughter. "So it really does work, Lils! He can drink tea!"

Lily was smiling also, and she took the empty cup from the silver-haired teen. "Do you want some food?" she asked, setting the cup into the sink and pulling out her stick. "I can make you some right now."

"It's okay, I'm not hungry," Kakashi said firmly, frowning slightly. It was odd. When he drank the tea, he only tasted it, but never felt it settle in his stomach like it usually did. It just felt like it…disappeared. It probably would have been the same for food.

He studied the small family before him. James was reclining back into his chair, an easy grin on his face, and Lily was watching him fondly, one hand stroking little Harry's tuft of hair. It was obvious that they loved each other, even during this war.

There was a small crack outside, and suddenly, the mood changed.

Kakashi tensed as he felt a wave of malicious chakra overwhelm him. James sat bolt upright in his chair, that strange little stick out in his and as he stared at the door, tense and waiting. Lily pulled Harry closer to her chest, almost protectively, and she too grabbed her stick from the counter. Cautiously, James stood, and made his way over to the window to peer out. As soon as he did, Kakashi knew something was wrong. The man had paled, and frantically, he began waving his stick at the door. "Lily, it's him! Take Harry and run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily paled immensely, and her breath hitched in her throat, but she nodded, sprinting towards the stairs.

"What's going on?" Kakashi pulled out his kunai, not liking what was going on.

"It's Lord Voldemort himself," James said, gritting his teeth as he threw several beams of light at the door.

'_Kami, there really are such things as wizards,'_ Kakashi thought, slightly dazed. He nodded, and prepared himself. He watched as the door started expanding, and he suddenly knew what was going to happen.

"Move!" He tackled James just as the door exploded, rattling the whole house and covering them in dust and debris. James scrambled upright, and faced the black-cloaked figure in the doorway.

The newcomer was menacing, and put Kakashi on guard. He didn't like this fellow; something was wrong with him.

"Ah, Potter…how good to see you again," the man hissed, before shooting a red beam of light at the black-haired man.

"Kakashi, go after Lily and Harry, and take care of them," James grunted, dodging out of the way and throwing a jet of yellow light back. "Go!"

"Talking to yourself, are we, Potter?" Lord Voldemort asked, throwing a green spell at the black-haired man.

"Kakashi, go!" James gritted out, and suddenly sent out a volley of different colored spells. Kakashi nodded, and sprinted up the stairs, all the while thinking about this new development.

'_Why couldn't this Voldemort guy see me? James and Lily could, but how come he didn't—'_ He found Lily in Harry's room, searching for a way out. "What are you doing?" he shouted, knowing that the redhead was in a precarious situation. "You're supposed to be gone now!"

"I don't know!" she cried, frantic. "I tried to apparate out, but there are wards up!"

There was a thud downstairs, and Kakashi realized that James had died.

'_Maybe…only those able to see me are near death…'_ he thought suddenly, and he stared at Lily, knowing what was going to happen.

She was going to die.

Lily gasped at then noise, and quickly bit her thumb, drawing a strange, jagged symbol on Harry's forehead with her blood, murmuring all the while. The symbol flashed, and sank into Harry's skin, nothing on the baby's forehead showing what had just happened.

"Kakashi, take care of Harry for us, please!" the woman begged, watching as the doorknob glowed green. "Protect him when I'm gone!" She set Harry in the crib, ignoring the small whimper the boy gave.

The door opened, just as Kakashi opened his mouth. "I will," he said quietly. Lily nodded, crying, as she faced Voldemort.

"Please, not Harry! Anything but him!"

"Stand aside, foolish woman!" Voldemort snarled. "_Avada Kedavra_." A glowing green light shot out of his wand, and slammed against her chest. She was lifted up into the air for a single moment, glowing, before she sank into the ground. With a start, Kakashi realized that she was dead.

'_The ultimate killing Jutsu,'_ he thought, and pushed up his hitae-ite to reveal the Sharingan. He drew his kunai, and threw them at Voldemort as the man approach the baby.

Voldemort screamed as knives became embedded in his skin, and he turned and shot another Avada Kedavra in Kakashi's direction. The Sharingan copied the spell perfectly, but Kakashi had no time to move away.

The spell passed right through him.

"Huh, that's interesting," Kakashi muttered, throwing some shuriken at the Dark Lord.

This time, however, Voldemort was ready, and he put up a shield around him and Harry (Kakashi snarled when his shuriken bounced off), approaching the baby with unholy glee in his eyes. "Shit."

"_Avada Kedavra_," Voldemort whispered, pointing at the baby's forehead.

The green light shot out, and connected.

Both Voldemort and the baby screamed, the invisible symbol that Lily had drawn with her blood appearing on Harry's forehead. The green spell remained there for a second more, carving a jagged lightning bolt into Harry's forehead, before rebounding and slamming into Voldemort. And, much like Lily, he was lifted up, glowing before he slumped to the ground, his shield disappearing.

Mutely, Kakashi collected all of his thrown weapons, before making his way over to Harry. The baby was bawling, his forehead bleeding where the lightning bolt was. Kakashi lifted Harry up, and began backing away from Voldemort's body. His gut instinct was telling him that something was not right, and he watched Voldemort's body carefully.

All of a sudden, Voldemort's body exploded outward, causing the whole side of the house to collapse. As Kakashi shielded Harry from the falling rubble, he thought he heard the sound of a person screaming in frustration before the part of the roof above them collapsed. He shouted in alarm and placed Harry underneath him, grunting as the roof landed on his back. He pushed over the roof with a hiss of pain; Some of the roof had splintered and gotten into his shirt, thus getting into his skin. Focusing on his chakra, he expelled it outwards, eliminating all splinters with a small sigh of relief.

He looked down at Harry, who stared back at him with calm green eyes, his forehead still bleeding. He whimpered slightly, and Kakashi groaned, using the little bit of medical jutsu he knew to clean up the wound as best as he could.

There was another crack out on the front lawn, and Kakashi whirled around, pulling out several kunai...only to come face to face with a man that was far older than anyone he had ever met. The newcomer was tall, with the longest, whitest beard he had ever seen. Half-moon glasses rested on his slightly crooked nose, and bright blue eyes that reminded him of his sensei peered through him and down at the little black-haired boy admist all the rubble. Kakashi studied his chakra, relaxing when he came in contact with a man that was very trustworthy and honorable.

"Good lord," the man whispered, and Kakashi stiffened slightly as he felt the man _pass through him_ to scoop the baby up. "Lily?! James?!" Recieving no call, he pulled out his wand, muttering under his breath and waving it. Portions of the walls and roofs lifted, and the man gasped when he uncovered the bodies of Harry's parents.

He bowed his head, mourning, before conjuring up a silvery, mist-like bird and saying, "Hagrid, fetch several Order members, and bring them to Godric's Hollow. The Potters are dead." The bird bobbed its plumed head before disappearing into the night, leaving the old man standing there with Harry clutched in his arms.

Several moments later, a few men and women appeared, a few of them crying out at the sight of the bodies and the house. The old man (Kakashi discovered that his name was Dumbledore) gave out several orders, his words clear, sharp, and precise. The others nodded, and Dumbledore handed Harry off to one member, instructing him to wait until Hagrid arrived. He twisted on the spot, and to Kakashi's amazement, vanished with another crack.

A loud roaring filled the sky, and Kakashi watched in fascination as some sort of large two-wheeled vehicle flew down, landing on the ground with a thump. A man jumped off, and marched over the stunned man holding Harry. His face was ruggedly handsome, with long, scraggly hair pulled back, and his expression was murderous.

"WHERE IS HE?!!" he practically frothed, and Kakashi frowned. The man was showing no ill-intent towards them, but just ot make sure...His hand sidled down to the kunai pouch on his leg.

"W-who?" the man stammered, obviously frightened.

"THE LITTLE RAT!! That traitor!!" the man snarled, and he grabbed his wand. "Anyone's welcome to use it." His thumb jerked toward the motorcycle in mechanical motions. To Kakashi's amazement, the man had an astonishingly well-developed killer intent. "I gotta get me some rat." He turned on the spot and disappeared, ignoring protests of "Mr. Black!!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. That was certainly strange.

"Ah, Hagrid! Dumbledore wants you to take James's son to his Aunt's house on Private Drive," the man holding Harry said, interrupting Kakashi's thought. The silver-haired Jounin turned to see the largest man he had ever witnessed in ihs entire life take little Harry into his arms.

"Poor little tyke," the big man sniffed, tearing up. He spotted the motorcycle sitting off to the side. "What's Black's bike doin' here?"

The man shrugged. "I dunno. He said anyone's welcome to use it." Hagrid nodded, and strolled up to it, cradling little Harry in his large arm as he swung himself up.

_'Uh oh,'_ Kakashi thought dimly as the motorcycle turned on and began to rise into the air. _'Hope it doesn't go too fast...'_

And so, Kakashi found himself following the motorcycle across the rooftops, thinking, _'This is going to be the worst bodyguard assignment ever.'_

* * *

**D3ath: Well, hoped you liked it. :D Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to all! And thanks, Songbird of the End, for beta-ing (even if you didn't mean to) XD**

**12/25/09, 6:13  
**


	2. Misery Loves its Company

**D3ath: Sorry for the wait! Life's been busy, and I blame school, procrastination, and family for the lack in updates. On a side note, the latest poll on my profile's up, and I'll be posting one for **_**A Novus Orsa**_** a little later, after you guys have had the chance to see the last poll. **

**Thanks to all that reviewed!  
**

**Disclaimer: "…PMS is like a dementor—it sucks all the happiness out of you, but is made better by chocolate." (Friend from school)

* * *

**

**Chapter 2**

Obito gulped nervously, dressed in the same dark outfit he had worn to Kakashi's funeral. It was slightly wrinkled now, from the sudden use; he never had a need for it until a few days ago, when he stood in front of Kakashi's grave. There was another reason why he wore it, the reason why he was pacing in front of the clan's meeting room. It was his best outfit, which was necessary as he was going to meet the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, and the elders.

He bit his lip in anxiety, knowing that he was going to be in big trouble. His father had given Obito a dark look as he entered before his son, which Obito knew was to be a bad omen. His father disapproved of him, ever since he barely graduated from the academy. The demoralizing glare was a sign of his father's contempt for his son, and Obito understood that his father would do nothing to support him. But, as time wore on, Obito knew that something was not right. He knew they were talking about him, and hoped that nothing too bad would come out of the meeting.

Obito thought about why the clan head had called for him. Fugaku never really had anything good to say to him (the last time Obito was called for something like this was when the elders lectured him on his less-than-satisfactory performance on the genin test), but now, Obito would bet his other eye that they were discussing his generosity with his left eye to a dead comrade, which was close to sacrilege in Uchiha terms.

He checked his watch, resuming his pacing. Five minutes to two; almost time. He didn't dare arrive late for this meeting. It was way too important for him to barge in halfway through and say that he had to help a lost turtle find its home (even if it was true).

The door slid open, and Obito looked down to see the son of the clan head, Itachi. Itachi's young face was a mask of distant politeness, almost expressionless. His dark, young eyes, however, betrayed their worry. Obito gulped. This was not good at all.

Itachi tore his eyes away from his cousin and focused on the floor, his posture stiff and soldier-like. To most, it would look unnatural on the small child, but Obito easily shrugged it off. After being with Kakashi for a few years, it was almost normal. Almost.

"The clan elders will see you now," Itachi said softly, his voice expressionless. Obito nodded nervously in response, and shakily followed Itachi into the room.

Being summoned by the clan elders was always an awful thing, Obito reflected as he stepped into the room. It always scared the hell out of him, partly because of their imposing presence, and partly because of the penalties (if there was one) he was about to face.

They sat in a semi-circle, all facing the entrance. Obito's father sat at one end, a smug, knowing smile on his face. His head was raised high, and his eyes glittered darkly as Obito stepped into the room. The other elders, however, remained impassive to the young Uchiha, and as Obito studied their stern expressions, his heart began to sink. The elders were disappointed, maybe even angry.

Uchiha Fugaku sat in the center of the room, a trace of a glare in his gaze as his prodigious son took a seat beside him. "Sit," he commanded, and his eyes flashed red with the Sharingan for a moment.

Obito quickly sat, kneeling on the hard bamboo floor with his head bowed slightly. He would show respect, but he refused to bow all the way. Might as well show that he wasn't afraid of them.

"Uchiha Obito, you have given your eye to a dead comrade, is that correct?" Fugaku snapped, and Obito nodded, fighting to keep his expression apathetic and failing terribly. _'I'm in _so_ much trouble…'_ he thought miserably.

"Stupid boy!" Obito's father snarled from his position. "Do you realize the position you've put us in?!"

Obito winced slightly. "…No?"

"If an Iwa nin were to discover the body of Hatake Kakashi, then they will discover the Sharingan," an elder said harshly, his wrinkled face oddly blank. His dark eyes, however, were icy and sharp. "Our bloodline would be discovered, weaknesses will be found, and our clan would fall into ruin."

"Oh," Obito gulped, now realizing the situation he was in. He was now facing exile, torture and punishment, probably even death. If possible, his already pale face grew paler.

"Uchiha Obito," Fugaku said, fixing dark eyes with mismatched ones, "you are hereby banished from the Uchiha clan. You no longer have the right to bear our name or symbol. You are also forbidden from stepping back onto Uchiha grounds, with the punishment of death if you do." The man's lips thinned. "You have been a failure over and over to us, Obito," he said, ignoring the look of shock on the boy's face. "Even Itachi, who's more than three years younger than you, has already graduated."

Each word was like a needle to Obito's heart. He didn't react, however. He just sat there, his head spinning as he struggled to fully understand what was going on. Disowned? Wait, he couldn't come back, ever? As soon as he realized the severity of the situation, his head snapped towards his father, a pleading expression on his face.

However, as soon as his eyes landed on his father, the pleading look disappeared, instead being replaced with a frozen countenance.

His father was smiling and nodding in approval. His smile was grim, but it hurt Obito all the same. The man's eyes shone gleefully, as if he were released from a sort of punishment.

'_Me,_' Obito realized as he stared at his father in disbelief. _'__**I**__ was the punishment…'_ All of a sudden, Obito felt betrayed, hurt beyond measure, stabbed in the back. Not as much as when Kakashi had died, but close enough.

The elders looked slightly startled as Obito began to laugh bitterly, all save Fugaku, who sat there with a look of cold indifference on his face. Apparently, he had been in situations like this before. How many Uchihas were banished from the clan, anyways?

"I can see why he called me the "failure of the Uchiha clan"," the raven-haired teen snorted. He stood, and looked down to meet Fugaku's stoic expression. His grin was gone now, replaced with the famous Uchiha Glare number seven, which he so rarely displayed. His normally smiling face was now angry, fury and his mismatched eyes making him look scarier than ever. "But I'm glad," he said, his eye red with the Sharingan. "If being the failure gets me out of this hell-hole, then I'll gladly do it. Then," he added, almost shouting, "once I get all good like Kakashi was, hell, even better, you'll wish you had me. Then you'll be sorry!" He stepped out, and slammed the door.

As soon as the door shut, however, his angry expression crumbled, and, swallowing hard, Obito made his way over to his house. The streets were empty as he trudged down the lane, and feeling particularly moody, he punched a hole in the wall of a nearby house, not caring if the residents noticed.

By the time he reached his room, he was crying and wiping his eyes. He let out a hollow laugh. Kakashi was right; he really was a crybaby. He grabbed his pack and a spare box, dumping all of his possessions into it.

"I'll show them," he muttered, repeating the mantra over and over as he packed. As he reached for his clothes, he made an unfortunate discovery. The majority of his clothes bore the Uchiha symbol, which he could no longer wear, and the teen grimaced as he held up one of his favorite shirts.

"Guess that's going into the trash," he mumbled, and tossed it aside. "Damn," he cursed, throwing a spare pair of pants into the box. "I guess I'll have to ask Rin-chan to help me shop. But where'll I go?"

He paused before shaking his head. "I hope Minato-sensei's willing to let me stay until I find an apartment for myself…" So, with his goggles slung around his neck, Obito left the house, leaving close to nothing behind in his former home.

* * *

"Obito? What are you doing here?" Minato peered down at his sniffing student, feeling slightly confused. He pushed the door open wider, taking note of the large box clutched in the teen's hands and the overloaded pack slung across his thin shoulders. Something was not right. Obito was also dressed a little oddly—he was in a formal black suit, which wasn't very practical for a ninja to wear. In fact, now that Minato had studied him, it was the same formal uniform that Obito had worn to Kakashi's funeral. What was going on?

"Um…Sensei? Can I stay with you?" Obito asked hesitantly, staring at the box in his hands and fidgeting slightly. It seemed like he refused to meet his mentor's eyes, which aroused Minato's suspicion even further.

However, Minato still didn't understand what the hell was going on. "…Stay with me?" he repeated blankly, and Obito looked up. His eyes were puffy and red from crying, and right at that moment, Minato knew that something was seriously wrong.

"Sensei, I swear I won't be a problem! Just for a day or two, until I can find my own apartment, and—" Obito rambled, until Minato cut him off.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," Minato commanded, now frowning. "Why on earth do you need an apartment?" Obtio would have no need for an apartment, unless Obito finally decided to leave the Uchiha clan. That would explain the hastily thrown belongings, the box, and the overloaded pack.

Obito looked down again, ashamed. "…Igotbanished…" he said in a small voice. Minato tilted his head to the side, not quite hearing.

"What? Obito, I didn't quite catch that." Minato's expression was dead serious.

Obito swallowed, and said, shakily, "I got banished from the Uchiha clan."

To say Minato was mad was an understatement.

"_**What?!"

* * *

**_

"—Okay, so here's the extra futon," Minato said, lifting said futon out of the closet and passing it to the raven-haired boy.

Obito hesitated, looking down again as the futon landed in his arms with a thump. "…Are you sure it's okay?" he asked, his voice small.

Minato hated seeing like this, and to reassure him, he flashed the teen a grin. "Of course! I'd rather you stay here than live by yourself in a cheap apartment, like Kakashi-kun did."

"But—"

"If you want to help with rent, then that's fine," Minato interrupted firmly. "I won't stop you, but I'd prefer it if you didn't." He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Say, can you cook?"

Obito stared at him, baffled. "Huh?"

"Can you cook? Are you any good at it?" Minato asked eagerly, his blue eyes lighting up in anticipation.

"Er—yeah…"

"Alright!" Minato cheered, beaming. He slapped Obito on the back. "No more living off of ration bars and eating out!"

Obito gawked at his blond sensei.

Minato, noticing Obito's stunned expression, laughed and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm not that good…" he trailed off, looking sheepish, "I can't cook shit."

For the first time in days, Obito smiled. "It's a good thing I helped Mom in the kitchen, right?" At the mention of his family, Obito sobered up, sniffing a little.

Minato eyed him carefully. "Obito? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Well, that wasn't that good of an answer. Minato knew the dark-haired teen could do better than that.

"I don't believe you," Minato announced sternly, frowning at his student. "What's the matter?"

Obito shuffled his feet, the futon shifting in his arms. "Umm, Sensei? Aren't par—" he choked off a bit before shaking his head and continuing "—Aren't parents supposed to love you? No matter what you do?"

Minato instantly became grave, any trace of a smile gone. His blue eyes were dimmed as he opened his mouth, before letting out a weary, heavy sigh. "Obito, I know where you're getting at." His eyes met Obito's mismatched ones, entirely serious. "This is about your father, isn't it?"

Obito broke his gaze, glaring at the ground with tears already streaming down his face. He never told Minato-sensei about his problems with his father, but the Yellow Flash had guessed what kind of man he was after their first meeting, when Obito became a genin. To say the least, Obito's father had only spat insults in Namikaze's face until the blond left the Uchiha compound. Suddenly, everything was just spilling out.

"He was _glad_ that I was leaving!! That I was banished!! He wouldn't have cared if I had dropped off the face of the earth!! He didn't give a single shit about what the hell I did!!" By now, the teen was shouting, his shoulders shaking as he gripped the futon in his arms with white knuckles.

Minato placed a comforting hand on Obito's shoulder. "Obito—"

"He's _never_ loved me! Mom was the only one that—that even—" Obito broke off, crying too hard to even form words.

Minato grimaced and pulled the teen into a one-armed hug. "Obito, sometimes parents are like that, yours especially. You know Maito Gai? His parents abandoned him, but he didn't give up, did he? He still kept going. You were lucky in a sense."

When he saw that Obito was slightly confused, he shook his head. "Look, at least you had parents and knew them, right? I know some that never knew their parents."

Obito looked up, swallowing and trying to get his tears under control. "W-who?"

"Well, me for one," Minato replied, giving Obito a pained smile. He never had the opportunity to learn about his parents, much less meet them. "And Kakashi-kun in a way. He never knew his mother, right? And his father died before he could truly get to know him." Obito nodded and looked down again. "So, despite whatever relationship you two have, treasure it, okay?"

Obito was silent for a long time, and it was beginning to scare Minato before the genin looked up, a small, sad smile appearing on his face. He brushed his hand across his gray and black eyes, dispelling any tears that might've remained. "Thanks, sensei."

Minato's grin returned full-force. "No problem. So, here's the futon, and let's see if I can find you any blankets…"

* * *

Kakashi pulled himself off the wall he was leaning against, groaning slightly as he heard the baby's whimpering. Stooping down, he picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, and opened it to see little Harry looking up at him through the dim lighting with big, green, and watery eyes.

Kakashi rolled his eye as he spotted Harry's flushed face. "Oh man…" Swiftly, he scooped Harry up into his arms (ignoring the disgusting smell the diaper was emitting), and hurried outside, covering the one-year-old's mouth until they were a safe distance from the house, in a nearby forest that Kakashi discovered earlier that day. "Alright, gaki, scream."

And scream Harry did, bawling at the top of his lungs. Absently, Kakashi rocked him, ever grateful for the D-ranked babysitting missions that Minato-sensei forced him on. He also thanked the gods for whatever foresight possessed him to bring along a spare diaper and changing pad he had filched from the Potter's former house in Godric's Hollow.

He knelt down, and swiftly changed Harry's diaper, making sure that he was upwind of the stench during the entire process. After a little bit, Harry's crying began to die down, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little angry with Harry's relatives.

He recalled what happened that morning, when Petunia Dursley had opened the door to set the milk jugs out. She screamed and dropped them, almost crushing the baby in the process. The next thing they did was throw Harry into the cupboard under the stairs, lock the door, and ignore him until his crying woke _their_ son up. They were good at feeding Harry and changing his diaper, granted, but their treatment of the little boy made the silver-haired teen furious.

He also discovered some things about the Dursleys. Petunia, although having been related to Lily, was a non-wizard, and had not an ounce of magic within her. She also seemed to bear a grudge against her witch-like sister, which obviously was carried on to Harry, a fact that Kakashi was not happy about at all. Her husband also wanted to get rid of the little "freak," as he so eloquently put it, but Petunia had protested vehemently (it had surprised Kakashi until he read the letter—something about blood relations and spells stronger or some crazy shit like that). However, as the day passed, Kakashi realized that he needed to help take care of Harry as well, seeing as his relatives wouldn't as much as they should have.

At first, Kakashi was more than a little nervous being with the bright-eyed boy. He was an assassin, not a babysitter! He was a teen, a skilled jounin, with hands covered in blood since the tender age of eight, when he made his first kill. He was also a little worried for when Harry would begin speaking, seeing as how the boy could see him and give away his position.

After a little bit of reflection, however, Kakashi dismissed the idea. Harry's relatives, the Dursleys, thought he was an abomination. A freak imposing on their lives. Kakashi chuckled grimly to himself about the irony of it all. If only they knew about their _second_ guest.

Absently, Kakashi packed away the changing materials, pulled out a scroll, and cut his thumb with a kunai, drawing a long crimson line along the length of the scroll. "_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu_!" A moment later, a small pug sat before Kakashi, frowning slightly.

"Yo, Kakashi, what is this?" the pug complained gruffly, looking around and studying the woods around them. "This doesn't look like Konoha." His eyes finally focused on the baby on the ground, and his mouth dropped open. "Whoa, when did you get a pup of your own?!"

Kakashi kicked Pakkun.

Pakkun got up, grumbling. "Alright, alright, so it isn't your pup. So whose pup is it?"

"Lily and James Potter's," Kakashi replied, wincing slightly as Harry hit his shin with a flailing hand. "But I need you to do me a favor. Can you keep an eye on Obito, Rin, and Minato-sensei in Konoha for me? And send a dog or two once in a while to play with Harry-kun?"

Pakkun tilted his head. "Sure. Anything else?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah; none of them are allowed to see you, and Harry's…relatives aren't allowed to find any trace of you guys." Pakkun nodded in understanding. "But you are allowed to use their flower garden as a bathroom," Kakashi added, his grin apparently through his mask. Pakkun sent a fanged grin of his own back to his summoner, chuckling darkly.

"So, gonna introduce me to the pup?" Pakkun asked, peering at the little dark-haired boy, and Kakashi nodded, crouching down and pushing Harry towards the pug. Pakkun sniffed at him, before nodding in approval. His small tail smacked against the leaf-covered floor, and Kakashi chuckled a little. He always like the dogs; it was so easy to please them. "A fine pup," Pakkun announced, an accepting look on his face…until Harry's hand smacked the dog in the nose. "Ow! Watch it!"

"Guruko will love him," Kakashi said after a moment.

Pakkun glared. "Don't' start."

Kakashi shrugged, absently pulling Harry back as the baby started crawling away from him at an incredible speed. "He's a good kid. His relatives absolutely hate him, through."

Pakkun growled in understanding. "Are you sure we can't pee on their furniture?"

Kakashi shook his head. "They might blame Harry-kun for it." He then went on to explain about Harry's situation and magic (which the pug scoffed at) before stressing the importance that the Dursleys were to find no trace of the dogs.

Pakkun huffed. "Fine." And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Harry whined slightly at the disappearance of the pug, and Kakashi shrugged in response. "Sorry kid, but we gotta get back." He hoisted Harry up into his arms, and headed back into the Dursley house, rocking Harry slightly as he walked. Within minutes, the baby was asleep, and noiselessly Kakashi placed him back into the cupboard, closing and relocking the door with ease.

* * *

The next morning, Kakashi was mildly surprised when Vernon Dursley slammed down the newspaper with a mild oath. Curious, the Jounin wandered over to peer over the large man's shoulder, his eyebrow raising fractionally as he stared at the cover.

Petunia had looked up at the noise her husband was making. "Vernon? What is it?"

Vernon pointed at the front cover, and Kakashi stepped back, letting out a slow, silent whistle.

**"SIRIUS BLACK KILLS FOURTEEN"**

"**This morning on November first, the inhabitants of Main street witnessed a terrifying event; the murder of fourteen right before their eyes. Sirius Black, having already been suspected of killing the Potters last night, was found this morning being confronted by a former friend with the name of Peter Pettigrew.**

**"It was terrible," one of the witnesses said, shuddering. "One minute, we were listening to the guy getting accused of killing a 'James and Lily', and then the next, everything was covered in smoke and pieces of pavement were comin' down…" Indeed, that morning, fourteen members of Willow Street were caught in the blast, with only a finger of Pettigrew remaining. The other inhabitants, reported that…"**

Kakashi stopped reading at that point, and he leaned back, scratching his head in confusion. Black didn't kill the Potters, Voldemort did. In fact, the man had arrived last night, talking about catching a 'rat' of some sort. It must've been this Peter Pettigrew that the newspaper mentioned. Kakashi arched an eyebrow. Something definitely was wrong, but unfortunately, he'd probably never figure it out, not if he was here watching over the gaki.

Petunia gasped at the headline. "Do you think he's going to come after us?" she demanded shrilly, her horse-like face pale. "He could be after that little freak!"

Vernon shook his head. "No, dear, it says that he's already been arrested; we have nothing to worry about." The large man grunted approvingly. "Interpol's really the best there is! They've already caught the bloody bastard."

"It's not Interpol," Petunia said with a sniff. "It'd be dark wizard catchers, and that horrid Black will be sent to their prison, Azkaban." Her initial fear seemed to be gone by now, but her lips thinned when she noticed her husband staring at her. "What?!"

Vernon's large mouth hung open, gobsmacked. "How did you know that?" he asked, a frown on his large beefy face.

Petunia's eyes flashed. "My _sister_," she said, as if spitting out the word in distaste, "was a part of the force that caught these kinds of freaks." Kakashi perked up, interested with the topic of conversation. "Called Aurors or something like that."

A shrill wail from upstairs caught their attention, and Kakashi rolled his eyes as Petunia rushed out of the kitchen. "Mummy's coming, Dudders!" she called sweetly, her mood changing faster than a woman on PMS.

Kakashi was grateful that Harry wouldn't grow up the same as _that_ baby…if it was a baby. The kid was already the size of a medium-sized gorilla, and was definitely _not_ the size of a one-year-old kid. Glad that little Harry would be in better shape, he made plans for when he could start teaching the boy. Probably when he was four or five. He would probably need it, too, especially with that Voldemort guy targeting him.

After making sure Harry was taken care of for the day (he kept a strict watch over Petunia as she reluctantly took care the black-haired boy), Kakashi decided to explore the surrounding area.

Houses whizzed by as he ran, and he took note of several locations that might be beneficial in the future, such as the grocery store, an almost non-existent soccer field (which would later be great for training, since no one seemed to come), a book store with his precious Icha Icha books (he had no idea Jiraiya was this popular so far from the Hidden Continent), a sports equipment store, and the forest about a mile away from the house.

He made an unfortunate discovery, however, as he reached fifteen miles away from the Dursley's house. He rammed into an invisible barrier, and his eye watered, his head spun, and he staggered away from the invisible force field, clutching at where his nose rammed into the "wall." It had nearly knocked him out, and he remained still in order to get his bearings before reaching out and touching the invisible force. It was rock solid and unyielding to his pushing, and didn't even move when he used various jutsus on it.

Shrugging, Kakashi turned away from the barrier, and effortlessly ran back to the Dursley's house, grinning slightly when he spotted Guruko relieving himself in the Hydrangeas.

"Kakashi! Kakashi! Hi!!" Guruko's tail wagged so hard the little energetic dog wiggled. Kakashi gave him an eye-smile, crouching down to stroke the beagle.

"Guruko," the silver-haired jounin greeted, almost the complete opposite of Guruko's hyper mood. He scratched the beagle's ears. "Any news?"

"Yup, yup!" Guruko panted, grinning. "Akino said Obito was banished from the Uchiha clan, and Urushi says Minato is candidate for Yondaime! That's what they said! Do I get a treat?"

Kakashi paused, in the middle of rubbing Guruko's belly. Obito…banished? For what? What did the Uchih—well, not anymore, he was banished—Obito do? "Why'd he get banished?"

Guruko tilted his head, calming down a little as he thought. "Somethin' about the Sharingan…" he said, chomping down on the treat that Kakashi absently handed him.

"Ah." Now Kakashi knew why. "Is it because Obito gave me his eye? They didn't like the idea of the Sharingan being given to someone dead, did they?"

Guruko bounced up. "Yeah, yeah! That's it!" he exclaimed, his tail thumping against the ground. Kakashi shook his head at the antics of the dog before turning to the next piece of information.

"So Sensei's going to be the Yondaime, huh?" he asked, and Guruko yipped in affirment. "Does anyone else know?"

"Nope!" sang Guruko. "Just you, the Sandaime, the council, and us nin dogs! Oh, and Minato," he added, and he paused briefly before his eyes lit up. "Hey, Kakashi! Can I see your pup?! I wanna play with it!"

Kakashi heaved an irritated sigh. Sometimes Guruko was a little _too _energetic—it was now to the point where it just got annoying. "Later. And he's not my pup."

"Awwwww!" whined Guruko, making a face. "Why not?!"

"Because the Dursleys can't discover that you are here," Kakashi explained, his gaze stern. "And you can't keep quiet for more than ten seconds."

"I can too!" Guruko insisted.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then go," he challenged, oddly thinking about Gai and his need to challenge every little thing the silver-haired teen did.

Five seconds passed…

"Hey, Kakashi! Can I see your pup?!" Guruko barked, completely forgetting about the challenge.

"Five seconds, Guruko," Kakashi deadpanned. "You can't even stay silent for five seconds, let alone ten."

"No fair!!"

"Guruko, come back at one in the morning, and then I'll let you see him," Kakashi offered. Guruko instantly brightened, barked a goodbye, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi ran a tired hand through his silver hair. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Obito trudged behind Minato wearily, dreaming of his futon back in Minato's apartment. He had an exhausting day of training, and was more tired than ever now that he began to take his training seriously. Following Kakashi's footsteps was _hard_. And Minato-sensei was eater to help him. A little _too_ eager.

"Obito-kun?" The raven-haired genin paused and looked up at his blond mentor. Minato smiled down at him and ruffled his hair. "I need to go see the Hokage; I'll meet you at the apartment later, okay?" Obito nodded mutely, too tired to argue. He waved goodbye to the jounin as his teacher headed off in the direction of the Hokage's tower, and vaguely noticed that Minato-sensei had been going there a lot lately.

Thinking about the sudden development with the Hokage and Minato-sensei, Obito barely noticed the small, coffee-colored dog in a nearby alley. It possessed doopy eyes, a small black symbol on his forehead, and wore a blue vest, ankle warmers, and a Konoha hitae-ite. The dog looked extremely familiar, and Obito had a hard time placing it before realization crossed his mind.

'_Oh, it's just one of Kakashi's summons,_' he thought absently, turning away.

But then he froze, another thought springing into his mind, _'But Kakashi's __**dead**__._' And Obito was pretty sure that no one else was able to summon nin dogs.

Swiftly, Obito glanced around, and peformed a kawarimi jutsu with the trashcan behind the little dog.

Bisuke yawned, blinking sleepily. Pakkun had barged in on the mocha-colored dog's personal naptime, and now he was feeling the effects of the loss. He was tired beyond belief. He stared at the trashcan in the middle of the road without comprehending, instead thinking about when he was going to get back to sleep.

A kunai tickled his furry neck, and instantly, Bisuke was on alert, all traces of sleep gone. The dog was rigid, and the fur on his back bristled. Bisuke swallowed carefully, and spoke. "What do you want?" He sniffed the air tentatively, and mentally cursed. Shit. He knew who it was.

"Who summoned you?" Bisuke also knew that voice. It was the one that Kakashi had told them all to watch. The one that wasn't allowed to see them.

It was Obito.

Damn, he must've been tired for a fresh genin like Obito to sneak up on him. It was either that, or Obito had gotten really good, really fast. Bisuke bet it was the first.

The kunai pressed harder against his neck. "Who summoned you?!" The voice had gained a sharp edge to it, and Bisuke opened his mouth, stifling a yawn.

"I'm not supposed to tell you," the dog said softly, absolutely still.

"Bullshit," Obito snarled, almost similar to a wild animal. "The only other person who could summon nin dogs was the White Fang, but he's dead, just like his son. They're both dead," the genin practically spat. "So tell me: _Who's your summoner?!_"

Bisuke was silent for a moment, and let out a small whimper as Obito pricked his neck. Damned if you do, Damned if you don't.

Bisuke spoke, and what he said almost sent Obito to his knees.

"Kakashi."

Obito grabbed the small dog by the collar and hauled him up. "That's a lie—the bastard's dead!!!"

Bisuke shook his head. "Pakkun came to us with orders from him; Guruko's visited him too." How could he forget that? Guruko was literally jumping off the walls when he made the announcement of visiting Kakashi' and the gaki.

"You lie," Obito hissed, glaring venomously at the dog in his grip. Bisuke shook his head again, more frantically now as Obito held up a kunai. "Bring me proof," the dark-haired teen growled, "and maybe I'll let you live the next time I see you." The killing intent directed at the small dog was almost so potent, the little dog nearly pissed right where he was at.

Bisuke nodded furiously, and disappeared in a small cloud of smoke, leaving Obito standing there and clutching at nothing.

Obito slowly lowered his arm, and continued his trek home. His bad mood gained many curious glances in the village as he passed through, and they worried about him, used to seeing a bright smile on the determined boy's face.

He stepped into the apartment he now shared with Minato-sensei, and leaned against the door, wiping a hand across his headband.

"It can't be true," he mumbled shakily. "It can't—he's dead—"

And Obito sank to the floor and cried.

* * *

**D3ath: Sorry if that was a little too angsty for you all…this was more of a filler chapter, with some little things in between. And sorry for the wait! Hope you all liked it! :D Oh, and if I'm wrong about Kakashi's nin-dog summing jutsu thing, please tell me! I don't really know a lot about the Naruto world (seeing as how I love the characters, but hate the plot and refuse to read and watch the series), so it's probably wrong. My beta wasn't sure, either. Thank you, _Songbird of the End_, for beta-ing!  
**


	3. The Secret's in the Telling

**Edit: Thanks for catching one of my typos, TheIcecreamGeek! It's much appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: Dogs find it very relieving to piss on hydrangeas. Something about that particular brand of flower soothing the bladder.  
**

**Chapter 3**

Kakashi leaned against a tree, covered in sweat and panting. His headband was pushed up, and his Sharingan eye swirled in the dimming sunlight. It was almost dark, with shadows creeping upon the silver-haired teen, who was gasping for breath (even if he didn't necessarily need it).

It was hard, training with the Sharingan, but he was slowly getting used to it and its strain. He was also practicing with having his eye covered, because he didn't want to be having a massive chakra drain during the middle of a fight, and be too exhausted to carry on, or worse, disappear from existence or something. It was difficult trying to eliminate his blind spot (every time he threw a kunai, it'd go further right than he intended). Briefly, he wondered if Obito was having the same problem, before shaking his head and pushing himself up.

He staggered a little as he got up, and after he steadied himself, he began to collect fallen kunai and shuriken. He pushed down his hitae-ite as he bent down. For a moment, exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he staggered before straightening up.

It was odd, being a sort of ghost. For one, he didn't get hungry or thirsty, but he could eat and drink if he wanted. There was no need to use the bathroom (that he didn't mind), and he didn't have to bother with many of the body functions he was used to, such as breathing. He could sit underwater for hours without the use of his chakra or breathing if he wanted to. No one could see him (unless he was under a henge), and he couldn't sleep. Even after training, when he was worn down and tired, he couldn't sleep. After a day or so, he would recover, and be as good as new again with his chakra doubled. If he kept this up, he would have a ridiculous amount of chakra, with nothing to do. He hoped his dogs got him a lot of chakra-draining jutsus.

A small puff of smoke announced the arrival of one of his summons, and the teen looked down to see Pakkun with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face.

Kakakashi waited, and waited.

"Pakkun?" he finally ventured to ask. To tell the truth, he was slightly unnerved by the furious look on the pug's countenance, and a small frown appeared on his face when the dog didn't respond. The dog tapped his small, sleek paw against the ground before letting out a short bark, followed by a snarl.

Kakashi's eyebrows rose when Bisuke appeared next to the pug, sniveling and whining.

Well, this was going to be interesting.

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked sternly, folding his arms and doing his best impression of the Hokage whenever one of the shinobi or civilians misbehaved. Sarutobi Hiruizen was a very scary man when he wanted to be, and he wasn't called 'The Professor' for nothing.

Bisuke crumbled under Kakashi's scrutinizing gaze. "I'M SORRY!" he howled, crouching down and placing his paws over his eyes in shame. "Pakkun woke me up during my nap-" Pakkun growled dangerously, but Bisuke continued, ignoring the various (and slightly frantic) shushing motions from his summoner "-so I was really, _really_ tired! I'm so sorry, Kakashi!"

Kakashi, glad that Bisuke's wailing was over and done with, turned to Pakkun. "What did he do?"

Pakkun bared his fangs at the mocha-colored dog. "He compromised our situation."

"How so?" Kakashi asked calmly, through on the inside he felt a small spark of worry.

"He was discovered by one of our targets," Pakkun replied, bringing his angry gaze to the silver-haired jounin.

Kakashi froze. _'Please don't let it be Sensei, please don't let it be Sensei…'_ "Who?" he asked slowly, tensing.

"Obito," Bisuke sniffed, quieting down.

Relief instantly flooded through him, and Kakashi nodded, relaxing a little. Obito was fine, Obito would keep something like this a secret, Obito was a friend-no matter how foreign the concept was to Kakashi.

"It's fine-just don't let it happen again," Kakashi said sternly. "Obito will work with us, but you _cannot_ allow Minato-sensei or Rin to find out about me. Understood? We can't have Rin telling Sensei, or Sensei sending troops to find us if he becomes Hokage. Bisuke, as punishment, go be Obito's personal aide until he releases you. You're not allowed to wear your hitae-ite or your vest, and you must act like a normal dog. Understood? And have Obito assign you another punishment. Dismissed."

Bisuke gave Kakashi a forlorn nod, and disappeared in another puff of smoke, his tail in between his legs. It was shameful for any summon to fail a mission, and since Bisuke was an extremely loyal dog, the punishment of not wearing his village or summoner's symbol was enough for him.

"Obito requested some kind of proof," Pakkun said, his hackles lowering now that Bisuke was gone. He sat down by Kakashi's foot. "He threatened Bisuke to give him some.""Hmm…like what?" Kakashi mused, rubbing his masked chin.

Pakkun shrugged. "He didn't say; just that he wanted proof.

Kakashi thought for a moment, before digging around in his pouch, pulling out a blank scroll and a pen he filched from the Dursleys. He began to write, pausing every now and then to think. Once he was done, he rolled up the scroll, stood, and placed the scroll in front of the pug.

"Have him read this, and make sure he doesn't show anyone else this letter. Is that understood?"

Pakkun saluted. "Yeah, boss, I got it," he grumbled, scooping up the scroll. "I'll see ya an' the kid later," he mumbled, his mouth full, and he disappeared, leaving Kakashi alone again.

Kakashi looked up, and noting the sun's almost nonexistent position in the sky, he decided that it was time to head back. He picked up his gear, straightened his vest and clothes (out of habit, really), and began to walk back in the direction of the Dursley home, speeding up a little when he heard Harry's crying. There was no way he was going to leave that boy alone with his relatives without some form of comfort.

However, just as he reached the neat and tidy home, he couldn't help but wonder if he was really doing the right thing. Sure, Obito was someone he could confide in, but was it really a good idea to let him know…?

He contemplated that through for another moment before shrugging and making his way to Harry's cupboard.

He'd deal with it later.

* * *

Obito gathered his kunai and shuriken, mimicking the actions of a certain silver-haired jounin (without actually realizing it). However, his actions were a little more frantic, and he stuffed the weapons haphazardly into his pouch and his backpack, along with a small whetstone to sharpen the blades. Mentally, he thought about the materials he would need; Minato-sensei said that it would be a long way to Suna, and the guard mission would be tough in the heat. Obito gulped, his mind creating vivid images of people dying of dehydration, bandits getting stabbed in the back, Kakashi being crushed by a falling bould-

Kunai and shuriken dropped to the ground as Obito grabbed his head, almost as if he was trying to force the memory out of his mind. Unfortunately for him, he had his Sharingan activated when it occurred, and it would forever be implanted into his brain. He shook his head furiously, as if clearing the image from his mind, but it remained there, Kakashi's small figure crumpling easily under the weight of the falling boulder, his arms, legs, back and neck splintering under the weight-

Obito jumped, whirling around and almost beheading the small dogs that appeared behind him with a kunai. Pakkun glared in response, unfazed with the former Uchiha's reaction to his appearance, while Bisuke whimpered and cowered. "Relax, kid," the pug grumbled, depositing a scroll at the chuunin's feet and shooting an annoyed glare at Bisuke. "We're not gonna do anything."

Obito still retained his defensive position, tense and anticipating. Pakkun glowered. "Well? Whaddya waitin' for?" he demanded, and Obito shook his head, slowly reaching down to pick up the scroll. And, swallowing uneasily, he opened it.

"_Dear Failure," _was what greeted Obito. Obito frowned.

"I'm not a failure," he muttered reflexively, ignoring the fanged grin that Pakkun shot his way. Bisuke continued to look miserable, and scratched at where his vest and hitae-ite used to sit, uncomfortable.

"_Stop attacking my dogs. I don't care how emotionally distraught you are (which you shouldn't even be displaying in the first place), but I need them._

"_Pakkun said you wanted __proof__. Alright then. My name is Hatake Kakashi, son of Sakumo the White Fang of Konoha. My blood type is O, and I graduated the academy at five (youngest ever), killing an Iwa nin at six, when my father ruined the Hatake name. Namikaze Minato was my Sensei since I first became a genin, I became a chuunin at nine, and became your teammate at twelve. I advanced to jounin about a month ago, two days before I 'died'. _

That wasn't good enough. Anyone could've been able to look up this information, and put it in this letter. Obito frowned as he continued to read.

"_Before I died, you told me that you thought my father was a true hero, and that I was basically a bastard for not caring what happened to Rin." _Obito found himself nodding in agreement, before he quickly scowled and stopped. _"I told you that 'those who don't obey the rules are trash'…and you told me that 'those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash'." _

Obito gaped, and sat down onto the floor heavily, clutching the letter with white-knuckled hands. _'No way…'_ He thought, tears forming at the corner of his eyes. _'No way in hell…'_

"_Even though you're right (I am a bit of a bastard), I wanted to say thanks. I won't tell you why, though, you'll just have to figure it out on your own (if you can). So stop crying._

"_Hatake Kakashi."_

Obito felt like ripping his hair out, crying, and laughing all at the same time. _Of course_ Kakashi would write something like this! How the hell was he supposed to figure out what Kakashi was actually _thanking _him for?

Now Obito had no doubt in his mind that this was Kakashi. The handwriting, the attitude, the dogs, the subtle references to his stupidity…and the not-so subtle references also to his stupidity. And there was _no way_ anyone else could've known what they argued about in the forest, before they rescued Rin, before Kakashi died…

Obito sniffed, and turned watery eyes to the two dogs. "Can you wait?" he asked, a large smile crossing his face despite the tears.

Pakkun nodded, smiling a little back, while Bisuke didn't even turn his unhappy frown upside down. "Go ahead, kid-I'll wait."

"Thanks," Obito replied, and he grabbed a blank scroll.

Pakkun sweat dropped as Obito began to scribble furiously, almost stabbing through the scroll with every single punctuation mark that his pen made. Finally, he rolled it up, and passed it to Pakkun, a wide smile almost splitting his face in two.

"Make sure to throw it at him," Obito said, wiping his eyes, "and swear at him for me."

Pakkun chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "All right, as soon as he's done taking care of the brat."

"Brat?" Kakashi, babysitting? "Haha, funny," Obito replied sarcastically. "Really, what's he doing?"

"He's taking care of a baby named Potter Harry, because his parents were killed. His relatives are being abusive, so we're watching him when they aren't," Pakkun replied, scowling tremendously at the mention of the Potter kid's relatives. "We're also using their garden as a bathroom," the pug added, grinning darkly.

Obito chuckled, turning to Bisuke. "So what about him?" he asked.

Pakkun shrugged. "Kakashi wants you to assign a punishment for him, since he compromised the mission by letting you find him. Kakashi also assigned him to be your personal aide until you feel fit to release him."

Obito blinked his mismatched eyes. "Really?" he asked the mocha-colored dog, and said dog nodded sadly, his head hanging and his tail in between his legs.

"All right then, I'll think of one later," Obito said, smirking. He would have to think of a really good one.

"Kakashi wants you to keep this a secret as well," Pakkun said sternly. "He doesn't want anyone to know about his existence, _especially _the Hokage and Minato. He doesn't want Rin to know either."

"Why Sensei and Rin?" Obito asked, curious. "Don't you think they should be the first to know?"

Pakkun shook his head. "I'm sure you'll find out about Minato sooner or later," Pakkun said cryptically, "but if you tell Rin, then she'd tell Minato, and you'll see about your sensei." Pakkun took the scroll, and disappeared, leaving in a puff of smoke.

Obito stared at the place Pakkun disappeared from before returning to his packing, a spring in his step and a smile on his face. "Pass me the bandages and the medical kit, will you?" he asked the small dog, and Bisuke complied.

"Obito-kun?" Minato called, knocking on the door, and Bisuke shot into the open closet, burrowing under a pile of dirty laundry. Obito looked up.

"Yeah?" he called, and Minato opened the door, yawning slightly.

"Are you almost ready to go?" he asked tiredly, rubbing at his eyes. He looked exhausted.

"Yes," Obito said cheerily, packing the last of the things he needed and slinging the pack over his shoulder.

Minato blinked, before suddenly rubbing at his eyes more furiously and staring at his raven-haired student. "…Are you alright, Obito?" he asked carefully, tilting his head.

It was now Obito's turn to blink. "Huh? I'm fine."Minato looked at him strangely. "You're happy."

"So?"

Minato frowned. "What happened? You were mourning Kakashi's death, and now you're…happy?"

'_Oh shit!'_ Obito winced inwardly, keeping his face smiling neutrally as he shrugged. "I got over it, and I'm going to catch up to that bastard by doing my best," he said, the lie sliding off his tongue easily. "Well, I'm a little nervous, too, and I get a little excited when I'm nervous," the chuunin admitted, grinning sheepishly. That at least was true.

Then the grin slid off his face. "But…I think, if Kakashi knew what was going on, he wouldn't us to still be mourning for him. He gave his life to protect us, and I think he would prefer it if we didn't waste the life _he gave us_ to just sit around and mope all day."

Minato stared at Obito for a long moment, and Obito internally squirmed. Then the blonde smiled sadly, clapping a hand to the former Uchiha's shoulder. "I'm really proud of you, Obito. You're becoming a fine shinobi," he said proudly.

Obito bowed his head. "Thank you, Sensei."

Minato glanced out of the window to look at the sun, noting its position in the sky. "All right, then. Rin-chan is waiting for us at the Hokage Tower, so let's get going."

* * *

"Welcome! How may I help you?"

Kakashi stared up at the man that was smiling widely down at him. "I need a job," he said flatly, the expression on his henge'd face neutral.

The bookstore's manager frowned slightly, his smile slowly disappearing. "Young man…how old are you?"

"Twelve," Kakashi replied promptly.

The manager studied Kakashi thoughtfully. "Hmm…Well, you seem a little young, but you seem a little more responsible than others for someone of your age. Have you ever worked in a bookstore before, lad?"

Kakashi nodded. "Back home, sir." What kind of D-ranked mission did Minato-sensei _not_ drag him on?

"Where're you from, lad? And you'll need to fill this employment form out." An official looking sheet of paper was placed in front of the (currently) sunshine-blonde boy, and Kakashi rapidly filled out the form.

"I'm from Japan," he said, recalling what Lily Potter had said when Kakashi had mentioned ninjas.

"_They're in movies all the time, James, and they existed in Japan several hundred years ago."_

The manager whistled. "Your English is very good. There's hardly an accent." Kakashi nodded absently, still working on the form. "Where in Japan?"

"I-uh-Konohagakure," he answered honestly, hoping the man wouldn't recognize the village.

"Wow, that's a mouthful, ain't it?" the man joked cheerily as he took the document Kakashi offered him. Kakashi internally breathed a sigh of relief. He scanned the information, his brow furrowing for a moment, before it cleared. The tall, dark-haired man offered Kakashi a smile.

"Well, everything looks to be in order. Do you have time for an interview? Or do you need to get back home to your parents?"

"I have time," Kakashi said immediately, and the man nodded, beckoning for Kakashi to follow him.

Kakashi smirked proudly to himself as he ducked into an alley and dispelled the henge. He got the job! Now he had an income to help Harry with food and toys, since his relatives obviously weren't helping in that department. The manager had been completely accepting of Kakashi (especially once the silver-haired jounin had used the Sharingan to hypnotize the man).

"Boss! Hey, boss!"

Kakashi paused, and scowled down at the pug sitting at his feet. "Pakkun. What is it?"

"Delivery," the pug replied, twisting his head and _throwing _a scroll at the jounin.

Kakashi dove for the letter, and grimaced at the amount of dog slobber over the outside. "That it?"

Pakkun swelled up his chest, and opened his mouth.

Ten minutes later, Kakashi was staring blankly at the dog as he finished his long-winded, _curse-infested_ speech, mostly about how Kakashi was a bastard, and numerous other expletives to colorfully describe Kakashi's personality and lineage (all with a deadpan expression and monotone voice).

Kakashi blinked, before shaking his head and staring at Pakkun again. "Where did you _learn_ all of that?" he asked, amazed, and Pakkun's chest puffed out proudly.

"You pick up stuff when you've been a summon for several different summoners," he said with a grin.

"And what was all that for?" Kakashi, in the meantime, was busily storing several of the new words he learned into his mind, hoping that he'd be able to remember them for future use. Pity that he didn't have the Sharingan eye opened…

"Obito asked me to do all of that when he gave the letter to me. See you later, boss." And with that, the pug disappeared into a small puff of smoke.

Kakashi returned back to number four Privet Drive, and lounged against Harry's cupboard, pulling out the letter and pushing up his hitae-ite to read.

"_You Bastard!_" It began, looking as though Obito had stabbed the paper while writing. _"Who the hell do you think you are, making me feel guilty as hell about your DEATH? And here you are, completely FINE!_

"_Rin-chan and Sensei are still upset about your supposed death…and thanks to you, I can't do anything to console them anymore. Thanks a lot._

"_And what the hell are you thanking me fore? I swear, if you weren't already dead by now, I would've killed you for answers._

"_Alright, you owe me an explanation, you bastard, and a good one. I'll be expecting one when Rin-chan, Minato-sensei, and I return from our mission. It's a guard job in Suna, and I'm leaving in an hour. _

"_Still…I'm glad you're alive…sorta. Not really. Nah. Never mind. Forget I said anything."_

At this point, it looked as if Obito began to write his former clan's name, but it was hastily scribbled out, and simply finished with "_Obito._"

Kakashi was about to put the letter away again, when another line at the bottom of the letter caught his attention. He looked back down at it, and it read:

"_P.S. I did __not__ cry."_

Kakashi rolled his eyes and stood, stretching, and fetching Harry when he heard the baby start to whimper.

After changing the little boy's diaper and summoning a few dogs to play with him (this time Guruko and Bull), he pushed his hitae-ite down and smirked underneath his mask, leaning against a nearby tree.

Things were starting to look up.

* * *

**So! About the super-late update! Yeah...life caught up. It happens. Deal with it.**

**On the bright side, that means that this story is not dropped at all! And has currently gone under major revision. I finally have a bit of a break, since Final's week hasn't started yet, and this semester's classes are basically GONE and DONE WITH. YESSS**

**So I majorly revised this chapter, and wrote a new chapter! You can tell me how happy you are in your reviews XD**

**Posted: 12/8/2011, 7:55 PM (Wow, has it really been two years since I started writing this?)**


	4. Things are Gonna Get Better

**D3ath: HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT I'M ALIVE AND THIS STORY'S NOT DROPPED! ISN'T THAT EXCITING? I dunno what happened to make me take this up again, but I doubt that any of you readers are complaining. **

**BUT FIRST! **_**GO AND READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER!**_** I majorly revised and edited it, so there's been a lot of changes. **

**Disclaimer: Never have a drinking contest with Gai. Ever.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Obito rubbed at his half-blind eye tiredly, signs of stress and exhaustion appearing in his slouched position and taut face.

It was amazing how much could go wrong in two years.

It'd been two years since Kakashi's death, and right before Obito went to take the Jounin Exams, Minato-sensei had been appointed as the Yondaime Hokage.

To say that Obito was shocked was an understatement. Rin needed to smack the back of the former Uchiha's head to snap him out of his dazed state of mind before he was able to properly respond to Minato's sudden announcement, much to everyone else's amusement.

Minato-sensei also impregnated Kushina, much to the shock of Rin and the amusement of Obito. Kushina had marched right into their apartment while Rin was visiting, punched Minato in the face, and then proceeded to explain exactly _why_ her life was ruined while continuously beating them man.

Obito was pretty sure he hadn't laughed that hard in a _long_ time.

Then disaster struck. First, Rin had gone missing on a diplomacy mission to Iwa. Her head was sent back in a box.

Then, the Kyuubi attacked, and Kushina had died giving birth to Minato's son, only for Minato to die as payment for sealing the Kyuubi inside the hour-old infant.

And now, it was up to Obito to help protect the little gaki.

At first, Obito had been too deep in his mourning to really notice the glares and the miniature revolts that occurred near the orphanage the blonde boy (_'Naruto,'_ he reminded himself). Then, while he was on his way to the graveyard, to pay his respects to his Sensei, Kushina, and Rin, someone had tried to break into an orphanage.

At first, Obito hadn't realized what was wrong with that particular orphanage, but stopped the attacker all the same. It wasn't until half-screamed, half-snarled words of 'Demon,' 'Kyuubi,' and 'Death,' finally reached Obito's brain.

He had paused, and stared at the man. "What?" he whispered, his face growing pale as he realized what the man was trying to do.

"That _demon_ is going to break out and kill us all!" **(1) **the man frothed. "We need to destroy it before it's too late-"

Obito swiftly knocked the man out, and handed him to a member of the ANBU, who had appeared at the commotion. "Take him out of my sight before I kill him," the dark-haired teen said coldly, and the Bear-masked operative nodded silently before disappearing with his load.

Obito ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he stared at the tombstone of Rin in front of him. "What am I going to do?" he muttered. "I can't take in Sensei's son. It's…it's too _painful_ for me to be around him. Did you know he has blonde hair, just like sensei? His blue eyes, too…" Obito's shoulders slumped. "I'm doing the best I can to help him, but I just can't be around him for too long."

He let out another sigh, just as a familiar little dog appeared beside him, carrying a large scroll, and a smaller one in his mouth. "Bisuke, what is it?"

Bisuke gently dropped the smaller scroll down onto the grass by his feet. The dog summon had grown really attached to Obito during his 'punishment,' and ended up staying with the teen for three months, rather than the two weeks Obito requested of him.

"It's from the boss," he said, sitting down and twisting around to pull the larger scroll off his back as well. "As well as this. He thinks that you'll have more use of it than he will, at least until the pup grows up."

Obito nodded silently, and took the smaller scroll, unrolling it with empty eyes.

"_Dear Obito_,

"_I don't know what to say. There's nothing I can say to help you-_us-_recover from Sensei's death. He was a great man, and Kushina was an amazing woman as well. But think of Rin, and think of Sensei and Kushina-san. They would want you to keep living, no matter what goes on in life. You know that. _I _know that. Who knows, maybe they ended up like me and are stuck to a few annoying gakis as well. _

"_But down to business. I believe that since you are alive, and I am, well, dead, you would have better use of this than I will, at least until Harry grows up enough to use it as well. It's the Dog Summoning Contract. And I will explain everything to you, because I know that it'll take a year before you realize how to get your first summon: First, you sign your name in your blood, then place a few bloodied fingerprints as well. After that, you perform the Kuchiyose no jutsu, with the hand seals Tiger, Snake, Dragon, and Dog. After that, Pakkun will explain everything else to you._

"_Hatake Kakashi."_

Obito placed the letter into his pocket before turning to Bisuke and taking the scroll from him. He took a breath, then opened the scroll.

There was a list of names, Kakashi's and his father's names down at the bottom, the two most recent entries. Obito smiled sadly, before cutting his finger and elegantly writing his name down underneath his old rival's. Once he finished, he smeared blood onto his fingers, and pressed them into the paper to leave five bloody fingerprints behind.

He than began to go through the seals.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

* * *

"'Kashi, what are we doing?"

Kakashi looked down at the little boy holding his hand. He was still mystified that the little boy could see him while others could not (as far as he knew, the boy was nowhere _near_ death at the moment, so how come he was visible to Harry?), but brushed it off. "I'm going to teach you how to use wooden kunai and shuriken."

"Really?" Harry's eyes glittered in delight, and Kakashi nodded. Then Harry paused, looking up at the silver-haired teen pensively. "How come not yours?"

"Because mine are too dangerous for you to use right now," Kakashi said sternly. "You could hurt yourself."

Three-year-old Harry nodded, accepting, and beamed widely at Kakashi. 'Do we start now?" he asked eagerly, and Kakashi nodded, his single eye curving as he smiled. Harry was a really sweet, intelligent boy. He already knew how to speak in two different languages, and he was beginning to start reading in both English and in Hiragana.

He started off by teaching Harry how to properly throw each wooden weapon (courtesy of Obito through Bisuke), before putting up targets on a few trees and allowing Harry to practice by himself.

Once Harry was occupied, Kakashi's mind began to wander, most specifically towards the Kyuubi attack and Minato-sensei's death, along with Kushina's death and the birth of their son, Uzumaki Naruto. He understood the reasons for Naruto having his mother's surname, but he was still unhappy with that particular decision. He was also a little disappointed in the Hokage's decision to make the new laws regarding the Kyuubi and Naruto. However, from what Obito had been telling him, it hadn't been working all too well.

Instead of simply not talking about the Kyuubi, they called the boy a demon and told their children to stay away from Minato's son. The villagers actively isolated Naruto with their scorn and hate, certain that he was going to become the demon that they all feared.

There had already been several assassination attempts before the ANBU stepped in, and Kakashi was not pleased.

Then there was Obito. He could tell that Obito was slowly starting to spiral down the path that Kakashi once took after his own father died, and he hoped that Bisuke and the other dogs would be enough to keep Obito from throwing himself into near-suicidal missions.

Then there was also the matter of Sensei. He had asked himself this question last year when Rin died, but what if Minato had turned into a spirit like Kakashi, and was made to stay with another little kid, to help, train, and protect?

Kakashi sighed, and turned back to Harry, correcting the young boy's stance and throwing movement.

All he would have to do was to wait and see.

* * *

"Kakashi? Do you know what happened to my mom and dad?"

Kakashi sighed and closed his book. He was on break at the bookstore, and seven-year-old Harry had stopped by after school, like he usually did. The manager of the bookstore thought he was an intelligent, bright young boy, and the other workers (well, the female ones at any rate), cooed and chatted about how adorable his young charge was.

"How about once I'm done, I'll take you to go get something to eat? I'll tell you then," he said, rubbing the forehead of his older-looking henge.

It was now to the point that the Dursley's didn't mind if Harry was out past dinner. They figured that since he was gone for so long, he wouldn't get any food, either, and refused him food after mealtimes.

It still made Kakashi angry that Harry was forced to cook for the family at breakfast and sometimes dinner, along with several other chores that were too much for the young child to handle by himself. Especially with Harry's fat whale of a cousin Dudley coming up to sabotage any attempt at cleaning the kitchen, or weeding the garden (the dogs had stopped relieving themselves in the Hydrangeas once Harry was shoved face-first into one of the flower beds). So nowadays, Kakashi jumped in to help, often taking the boy to train him in the forest out back.

But despite all the shinobi training Harry had gone through, he wasn't allowed to use that ability on civilians, especially since Kakashi wanted Harry to maintain a low profile. So he let Dudley chase him around. He let Dudley beat him up. And he cried to Kakashi afterwards while the silver-haired jouin patched him up.

Soon, Kakashi had returned to work, and three hours later, he was finished. "Come on, Harry-kun," he said softly in Japanese, and the young boy's head jerked up. Apparently, he had been engrossed in a new book, and hadn't heard Kakashi coming.

Kakashi smiled. "You can finish it tomorrow."

Harry sighed, reshelved the book, and bid everyone in the store a good day before following Kakashi out.

Kakashi took him to a nearby café, ordered two sandwiches (a chicken sandwich for him, and a roast beef for Harry), and looked at Harry long and hard.

Harry began to fidget under his gaze. "What? What is it?"

"You're not allowed to repeat this to anyone, understood? Not unless I give you permission to do so," Kakashi said seriously in Japanese. "It could mean your death if you spoke about it to the wrong people, understood?"

Harry gulped and nodded, his face paling a little.

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his currently sunshine-yellow hair. "It began with a mission, when I was still alive."

"What?" Harry whispered, and Kakashi studied the black-haired boy.

"Didn't you know that I was dead? I thought I explained that to you," he said in mild amusement, but Harry shook his head.

"I thought it had happened when you were still…y'know, _dead_."

Kakashi shook his head. "Yes. No. Sort of. Just let me explain, alright?" Harry nodded and began to eat his sandwich. "I was on a mission with my teammates in the elemental countries, on the forbidden continent. In fact, we were on the border between Iwa and Konoha." Harry nodded in understanding. Kakashi had explained the history of the elemental countries, as well as showing him maps and tutoring him on important figures, landmarks, and battles.

"The mission was for us to sabotage a bridge so that Iwa wouldn't be able to get their supplies in order to continue their attack. However…one of my teammates was captured while our Sensei was called to help with another assignment, and I was in charge of leading my other teammate to complete the mission."

Kakashi shook his head regretfully. "I was an idiot back then. Back then, I refused to fail to complete a mission, because of my father. My father had rescued a teammate instead of completing the mission, and that's what led to the Third Great Shinobi War. Eventually, my father, so drunk, so deep in his depression, committed suicide. I refused to do the same and bring shame and dishonor onto my family name, so I decided to continue on with the mission, and leave our teammate behind."

Harry wasn't eating now. In fact, the sandwich lay forgotten on his plate before him while the young boy gawked at Kakashi, so enthralled with the story. Kakashi grimaced inwardly and pressed on.

"My teammate, Obito, whom you know about, wanted to go and rescue Rin. He ended up punching me and telling me that my father was a hero, and that he looked up to my dad. He then said this: 'Those who do not obey the rules are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash.' And with that, he went to rescue Rin alone."

"Did he get her?" whispered Harry, wide-eyed.

Kakashi shook his head. "No. I caught up to him, just as an Iwa nin was sneaking up behind him. I ended up losing my eye." He pointed at his left eye, and Harry nodded in understanding, but there was a small crease of confusion on his forehead. "We rescued our teammate, but then, another Iwa nin started a cave-in. And I pushed Obito out of the way."

"Only for you to get crushed instead…" realized Harry, paling.

Kakashi nodded. "I couldn't see, because my left eye had been damaged and my entire right side was crushed, so Obito gave me his eye, an eye which had the newly-awakened Sharingan. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in your house."

"My house?" Harry asked, confused, and Kakashi nodded.

"Your parents were wary of me at first, and after realizing that I was dead, they welcomed me in and introduced me to you. You were a cute little kid."

Harry blushed. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi chuckled and reached out to ruffle Harry's already-messy hair, ignoring the squawk the boy emitted. "Continuing on," he said, and Harry immediately snapped to attention. "We talked for a bit, and your parents told me that they were magical."

"What?" Harry said flatly, an incredulous expression on his face.

Kakashi grinned, his eyes curving into a smile. "Magical," he repeated. "Your father was a wizard, and your mother was a witch. Saw the proof with my own very eyes."

"You're lying!" Harry exclaimed, and Kakashi shook his head. "You're just leading me on!"

"Let me finish!" Kakashi interrupted, a little impatiently, and Harry fell silent. "Your father was talking about a war that was going on in the 'Wizarding World,' he called it. There was a man, a Dark Lord by the name of Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters."

Harry made a face. "That doesn't sound very scary."

"You're right, it doesn't," Kakashi agreed. "Anyways, we were just talking, when we heard a crack outside, a teleportation jutsu, I believe. Anyways, your father started to cast spells onto the door, to keep the intruder out, but the door exploded and the person that came in was Voldemort."

Harry's eyes were fixated on Kakashi. "What did he do?" he asked quietly, and Kakashi sighed.

"He fought bravely, as far as I could tell. He asked me to watch over you and your mother for him. While I was upstairs, we heard him fall, and your mother, well, she couldn't get out for some reason, so she drew a symbol on your forehead."

"My scar…" Harry breathed. "What did it do?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. But it saved you from the ultimate killing jutsu, a jutsu that killed with two words: Avada Kedavra. I think you need a wand for it, though."

Harry nodded mutely, and waited for Kakashi to continue on with the story.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Your mother died then. Voldemort came into your nursery, and asked your mother to step aside. She didn't, and she was killed protecting you. And so when Voldemort managed to block off my kunai and shuriken, he used the killing curse on you. And it rebounded, thanks to your mother's spell."

Harry reached up to trace the scar on his forehead. "Why were they killed?" he asked softly, and Kakashi shook his head.

"I do not know. After that, you were brought here, and I followed, so that I might be able to take care of you, like your mother asked me to."

"W-what-what did they look like?" asked Harry softly, his voice trembling. He looked ready to cry, and Kakashi didn't blame him. For Harry to finally know that his parents had loved him, even to go as far as to _die_ for him must've meant a lot, especially since he was told day-by-day that his parents were useless drunks that didn't care one whit for their son.

"I can show you, if you'd like," Kakashi said quietly. Harry's head snapped up to stare at Kakashi, tears building at the corner of his brilliant green eyes. They were almost hidden by the thick, round, black glasses that he wore.

"Not now, though," Kakashi reminded him. "In the forest later tonight. It wouldn't be good if I did it in the middle of a café."

Harry let out a shaky laugh. "Right," he said, and he swiftly polished off his sandwich, bouncing in his seat as he waited for Kakashi to do the same.

However, the Jounin smirked internally and made sure to eat his food as _slow as possible_ just to irritate the young boy.

"Kakashi!" the boy exclaimed in frustration, and Kakashi smirked outwardly this time, finishing off his food with a flourish and paying the waitress.

Ten minutes later, they were standing in the backyard, and Kakashi made the correct symbols with his hands. "_Henge!_"

And with a puff of smoke, there stood James Potter.

Harry stared up at Kakashi with wide eyes and an awed expression. However, what startled Kakashi the most wasn't the way the boy started crying; it was the absolute _longing_ that resided in his deep green eyes. Kakashi smiled sadly and made a shadow bunshin, using a henge to transform the clone into a woman with vivid red hair and beautiful green eyes.

Tears were openly streaming down Harry's face as he walked forward to hug Kakashi around the waist.

"Thank you," he hiccupped, and Kakashi reached down to pat the boy's head.

"You're welcome," he said softly, before gently detaching Harry from him and kneeling down in front of the boy. "Just remember that your father loved you very, very much. When he introduced me to you, he all but shoved you into my face, bragging about how amazing of a son you were. You were only one, and he was already proud of you. And your mother…once she got you from your father, she was constantly hugging and holding you. Never forget that. Never forget the sacrifice your parents made for you, and never forget that they loved you with all their hearts, understand?"

Harry tried to wipe the tears away from under his glasses, but they just kept coming. Finally, he just settled for a nod, throwing his arms around Kakashi again as Kakashi dispelled his bunshin and henge.

"And don't forget," he said as he carried the young boy to the edge of the woods, "This stays between us."

* * *

Obito sighed, rubbing his hair as he stared down at the blonde-haired kid through his Dog ANBU mask. The boy was only five, and he had already started to outrun gennin with his pranks.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked rhetorically, but the boy took it literally.

"I'll be good, promise!" the soaked boy yelled, panicking slightly. He flailed a little, but he wasn't able to do much, being held up by the foot above the ground, dripping water all over the place. "I won't unscrew the pipes near the Hokage Tower again! Promise!"

Obito resisted the urge to laugh, long and hard. Oh God, it was a miniature version of Minato, but with Kushina's personality. So, as it was, only a small snort escaped him as he slung the blonde boy over his shoulder, ignoring the water seeping through his clothes and armor.

"Come on, let's get you home."

'_I should send pictures to Kakashi,_' he thought as he made his way through the streets of Konoha. _'He'd probably find it funny, and send pictures of the gaki he's always bragging about.'_

And with a hum, Obito strode down the sunny streets of Konoha.

* * *

**So I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates. Life caught up, crap happened, and well...things got difficult. It's the week before finals start, so it's like a metaphorical 'calm before the storm'. Since it's been rather peaceful, I managed to get back into the swing of things, and, well, here we are!**

**(1)** **Originally, it was "That _demon_ is going to break out and kiss us all!****" before I caught the typo.**

**Also, another little tidbit; all of the chapter titles are songs. See if you can figure them out! ;)**

**Posted: 12/8/2011, 10:28 PM**


	5. It Hurts

**D3ath: WOW, thanks for all the reviews, guys! I'm glad to see that you all are still reading it, despite it being a year since I last updated the fourth chapter! And a special thanks to **_**Alec McDowell **_**and **_**darienc61**_** for the plot ideas and the Naruto-verse help! And thanks to everyone else for reviewing!  
**

**Disclaimer: Urushi's the kind of dog that likes to torment Kakashi, Obito, and Harry in his spare time.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Sasuke-kun, there's someone here to see you."

Uchiha Sasuke didn't even turn at the nurse's gentle voice, nor did he respond in any way. His eyes were dead, staring out at the world, the shock and grief of his loss apparent to all that saw him.

It was like he was dead.

"Hello, Sasuke," said an unfamiliar voice, but Sasuke didn't reply. He couldn't reply. He was afraid that if he talked, he would cry.

And crying was weak. He needed to get out, and start training so that he could kill _him_.

There was a long pause before the scraping of a chair being pulled to the bedside rang throughout the room, and the person spoke. "Look, I understand what you're going through, but-"

There was a sudden wave of anger within Sasuke, and for a moment, all he could see was red.

"Understand?" he hissed, spinning around to glare at the newcomer. A black-haired man with slightly tanned skin, mismatched eyes, and goggles. "How the hell could you understand? I SAW THAT BASTARD MURDER MY ENTIRE CLAN IN FRONT OF ME! MY FAMILY!" His voice kept getting louder and louder, but he couldn't control it, nor did he care. Anger was good, anger would make him strong. "HOW THE HELL CAN YOU UNDERSTAND?"

The man stared at him for a long moment as he panted, his small chest heaving. Then he sighed, and pulled off his goggles.

"Because they were once my family too," he said, and to Sasuke shock, his dark eye began to swirl red with a fully-developed Sharingan.

Sasuke gawked for a long moment, before stuttering, "H-h-how-?"

The man rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair. "Got kicked out of the clan when I was fourteen," he said solemnly. "So, technically, I'm not an Uchiha anymore, but I still understand. I was upset when I heard about it too." He sighed before looking straight at Sasuke. "I'm Obito, a former second-cousin of yours or something. Nice to finally meet you, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

"Who're are you always getting letters from, Kakashi?" asked ten-year-old Harry, who was watching Kakashi stare at the letter he held in his hands. "I mean, you're dead, so…Kakashi? Um, Kakashi? Are you listening?"

Kakashi snapped out of his stare and shook his head lightly, as if clearing his head. "What?"

"Who're you always getting letters from?" Harry repeated patiently with a hint of a frown. "You're always getting letters, but you're dead, so no one should even know that you're alive."

"My old teammate found one of my nin dogs around the village, and threatened Bisuke until the dog told him that I still existed…somewhat," Kakashi replied, rolling up the scroll. He sat down, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

Harry listened to the phrases of "I can't believe it" and "How did he do it?" before piping up, "Do what?"

Kakashi's head snapped up. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded, walking over to Kakashi and taking a seat next to him. "You're going on about something serious, given the look on your face. Or what's left of it," he teased lightly.

Kakashi shook his head at the quip, before answering solemnly, "The Uchiha clan was wiped out. There's only three survivors left."

Harry's jaw dropped. "What?"

"And apparently, the entire clan was slaughtered by a teen by the name of Itachi, who's only fourteen," Kakashi continued on. "He killed the last two, his parents, right in front of his younger brother, who is one of the other survivors."

Harry closed his mouth, swallowing heavily. "And who's the last survivor?"

"My old teammate," Kakashi replied heavily. "He's the one that sent me the letter."

Harry sagged against Kakashi, his head thudding down onto the silver-haired teen's shoulder. "That's insane," he said numbly. "You told me the entire clan was famous for producing some of the strongest ninja, and had nearly two hundred members. How were they all killed in one night, by a fourteen-year-old?"

Kakashi exhaled loudly. "I don't know. Itachi was an ANBU captain, though, so he was probably skilled enough."

"But it doesn't add up," protested Harry, raising his head again quickly and nearly head butting the silver-haired jounin in the face. "How can one fourteen-year-old kill around two-hundred people in one night? Before anyone realized what was going on? _By himself_?"

Kakashi stiffened. "You right," he said, before pulling out a scroll and rapidly writing out Harry's findings. He summoned Pakkun and gave the letter to the pug. "Give this to Obito, and don't let anyone see it," he said. "It's a matter of utmost importance." Pakkun nodded, and giving a small wave to Harry, disappeared.

Kakashi leaned back again, sighing. "I'm too old for this."

"You haven't aged in years, and you know it," said Harry firmly. "You look almost the same age as me."

"But you're nowhere near my skill level," replied Kakashi, some amusement coming back into his voice. It was amazing what ten years of a deathly retirement could do to someone. He felt a little more relaxed than he had been when he was still alive, and he realized that not everything had to revolve around missions, fighting, or killing. Harry had forced the jounin to play games with him, forced him to go cloud watching with him, made Kakashi assist him in pranks on the Dursleys whenever he had free time.

Harry had, mostly for the better, changed his life (or more accurately, his afterlife).

"I'll show you skill level!"

* * *

Sasuke stared at the man in front of him. "What?" he growled, snapping out of his stare to glare daggers at the older (former) Uchiha.

Obito crossed his arms. "You're not training, going to the academy, or even _thinking_ about anything ninja-related until you stop thinking about revenge. The longer it takes, the longer you get back to the academy."

"You can't do that!" shouted Sasuke, furious.

Obito smirked. "I can and I already have. Iruka's already been notified that you're no longer attending the academy until your priorities change, because revenge will just take you down all the wrong paths; trust me on this. I've seen it happen to teammates before, people who wanted to get revenge on the ones that killed their precious people. They usually end up dead."

Sasuke's jaw dropped, and he spluttered incoherently, his face red with rage.

A small nin dog appeared at Obito's feet. "This's for you," he said, dumping a letter at the young man's feet. "He looked really serious when he wrote it, so it's probably something really important."

Obito nodded and opened the letter. He read it for a moment, before his face blanked, and he hurried to the door, stuffing the letter into a pocket.

"Pakkun, keep an eye on Sasuke," he ordered. "Make sure he doesn't so much as practice any shinobi art of any kind until I get back."

Pakkun saluted with his paw. "Sure, boss."

As soon as the door slammed shut behind the raven-haired man, Pakkun turned to the scowling kid next to him. "So you're Sasuke?" he asked, and the kid just grunted in agreement. "Here, feel my paw," he said, holding up a paw. "It's really soft, and it'll make you feel better."

Sasuke gave the pug an icy glare, but after a moment, hesitated, then reached out to touch the dog's paw. His eyebrows rose in surprise before he remembered he was supposed to be angry, and he dropped the appendage with a glower.

"It's soft, right?" Pakkun said cheerfully, taking a seat on the floor. Sasuke still scowled, and Pakkun rolled his eyes. "Geez, you're like Harry when he's in a bad mood, just with the attitude problem."

Sasuke's head snapped towards Pakkun. "Who's Harry?"

"Kid the boss watches."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I'm the only kid Obito's been watching."

"Not _that_ boss. The _other_ boss," Pakkun replied, bored. "Our _first_ boss, before he died."

Deciding that Pakkun was just messing with him, especially with the last statement, Sasuke huffed and stomped to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Pakkun rolled his eyes. "Kids these days," he muttered. "Kakashi was never this bad." And with that, he padded over to the door, and curled up next to it, keeping an ear out for anything ninja-related.

* * *

"Who's Harry?" demanded Sasuke at dinner. Obito promptly choked on his fish, gagging until he dislodged the offending piece.

"What?" he gasped, staring at Sasuke, and Sasuke scowled, folding his arms.

"Who's Harry?" he repeated, and Obito half-stood from his seat at the table.

"Who told you that?" he asked, and when Sasuke didn't answer at first, growled, "answer me!"

"That little dog that was here earlier," the kid finally grumbled, looking down and away.

Obito sat back down with a sigh. "Dammit, Pakkun," he muttered.

"He also said something about another boss, and that he was dead, but I think he was just messing with me," Sasuke added.

Obito ran a hand through his hair, ready to slaughter Pakkun the next time he summoned the dog. "Harry's just a kid that the dogs have been watching for ten years now, a protégé of my old, dead teammate."

"Oh." Sasuke picked at his dinner, and Obito raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. It was like Sasuke was disappointed that he wasn't able to pick more information out of his new guardian.

"So, how's the leaf-sticking exercise going?" he asked, and Sasuke jerked, his head snapping up to stare at Obito.

"How did you know I was doing that?" he demanded, and Obito grinned. Score!

"I didn't, well, not until you told me," he said smugly, and he laughed at the fierce glare he received from the scion of the Uchiha clan.

Maybe having the kid here wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be.

* * *

"HEY OBITO-SAN!"

Obito winced at the loud call. He and Sasuke were in the market, shopping for things that Sasuke might need in his new apartment that wasn't bloodstained or laced with bad memories. "Hey, Naruto-kun," he said, turning around and allowing the small blonde to latch onto his leg.

"Neh, where've you been? You haven't visited me in _ages_!" the whiskered kid chattered excitedly, glad to be able to see one of his precious people.

Obito smiled and gently detached the hyper blonde from his leg. "I've been busy, and I was on a mission last week as well," he said, and Naruto's eyes sparkled.

"That's sooo COOL!" he exclaimed. "Can you tell me about it?"

Obito shook his head, smirking at a gawking Sasuke nearby. "Naw, it's confidential." Despite his attempts to stay away from the blonde, the blonde always found him, whether it be in full ANBU regalia, or just walking down the street. While Obito was on active duty, Naruto would somehow find a way to piss off all the jounin in the vicinity before leading them on a wild goose chase across town, and therefore force Obito to grab the kid before any of the jounin took drastic action.

And the reason why Naruto hung around him when he was off-duty was simply because Obito smiled and said hello to him one afternoon as he walked by. Ever since then, he hadn't been able to get rid of the blonde.

He was glad, though. It no longer hurt to look at the kid (who looked _just_ like Minato), and the kid was always boisterously happy, to the point where Obito needed to just _look_ at him on a bad day before he got cheered up.

He often brought the blonde over to his house for a few meals, just to see what was going on, and usually had a hard time not laughing water through his nose. The kid was just _so damn funny_. It was almost like watching a comedy act, with Naruto complaining about his vegetables, or getting a little too involved in flinging bits of rice at his opponent (namely, Obito). Hell, this kid was the embodiment of Kushina in spirit and the physical manifestation of Minato. Therefore, it was almost like watching a younger version of Minato act like an idiot, and it was _priceless_.

And then the jinchuuriki told him that he was one of his precious people, and said that the Old Man (the Hokage) was the one of them too, as well as Old Man Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. And that was it.

Needless to say, Obito was appalled that Naruto only had _four people he could trust_. After that, he made a vow and a promise to his former sensei that he would do anything he could to help the blonde boy out.

Naruto pouted up at him. "You never tell me anything cool," he muttered in disappointment.

"That's because most missions are supposed to be confidential, dobe."

Naruto whirled around at Sasuke's voice, and pointed a (rude) finger at the Uchiha. "Teme! What the hell are you doing here? And how come you're not at the academy? I need to kick your butt!"

Sasuke glowered at Naruto. "Stupid. You'd never be able to kick my butt, not even if you trained for a thousand years."

"Shut up!" Obito pushed up his goggles, and massaged the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"And the reason I'm not at the academy anymore is because of _him_." Obito smirked at the frigid tone of Sasuke's voice, and Naruto turned a curious, blue-eyed gaze onto the young man.

"I took him out of the academy because he's hell-bent on getting vengeance and therefore destroying everyone and everything around him," he said. "Also, he's my second cousin or something, and since the entire clan was killed-" Sasuke winced minutely "-it's my responsibility to take care of him."

Naruto stared at Obito, before screeching, "WHAAAT?" Several people stopped in the street to glare angrily at the loud blonde before continuing on their way, nursing their damaged eardrums.

Obito rubbed his ears furiously, sure he had lost all ability to hear in addition to his ability to see perfectly. "Yeah, I know," he said.

"Why's the teme related to someone as awesome as you?" Naruto demanded.

"Dobe!"

"Teme!"

"Dead last!"

"Arrogant sissy-boy!"

"Why you-!"

"Enough!" Obito pushed the two boys away. "Naruto, he's my cousin, just deal with it, okay? Sasuke, Naruto's a great kid, leave him alone."

Naruto and Sasuke both scowled at each other before relenting. Obito straightened. "Now, Naruto, I promised I'd teach you a cool trick remember?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he recalled that fact. "Oh yeah! For doing so well on the henge the other day, right?"

"Dobe. You would have gotten that _ages_ ago if you had any brains."

"Teme!"

"YES, Naruto, that's exactly right!" Obito said loudly, hoping that the two boys would stop squabbling and start listening.

Naruto bounced up and down. "What's it going to be?"

"I'll show you at the training field," he said, before turning to Sasuke. "And you, since you're not allowed to practice on any ninja technique, are going to sit and watch, whether you like it or not. If I catch you practicing, then it's no tomatoes for dinner for a week, got it?"

"What?" Sasuke looked horrified for a moment, before quickly relenting and nodding. Tomatoes were Sasuke's favorite food, so the punishment was harsh enough to sway the young Uchiha easily. Naruto, on the other hand, looked like his birthday had come early.

Soon, they were at the training field, and Sasuke sulked underneath a tree while Naruto practiced a D-ranked jutsu that was good for lighting small fires…a jutsu that Naruto would most likely use in his next prank.

While Naruto was busy and Sasuke sulked, Obito summoned the dogs for his last bit of training with them. "So, what's the last thing I need to know about?" he asked the dogs, and they all shrugged, looking at Akino.

Akino pushed his sunglasses up with a paw and barked something in dog, which had Pakkun nodding in agreement before he turned to the former Uchiha.

"Just the reverse summoning," he said. "Basically, us dogs can summon you to a different place if we use it, and you can summon other users of the dog contract as well."

Obito's eyes lit up. "So I could summon Kakashi if I wanted to?" he asked eagerly, but the dogs shook their heads.

"You need a physical body," Pakkun said. "If it was a shadow clone, sure, since it's a physical extension of the body, but with Kakashi, no, since he's technically no longer alive. But here's how it's done…"

* * *

Kakashi stopped Harry in the middle of the exercise. "Enough," he said, studying the gasping boy. "You don't have enough chakra to keep going."

"But I want to!" Harry insisted, dropping the leaf he was holding. It was barely singed, a sign that Harry was almost out of chakra.

"Do you want to go through chakra exhaustion?" demanded Kakashi, folding his arms. "No. You will learn your own limits so that you don't pass out in battle. If you want more chakra, you will practice and increase your own reserves. _Not_ now," he added when Harry opened his mouth stubbornly. "In the mean time, while you rest, I'll ask Obito to see if he can send some Fire jutsus ranging from D-rank to B-rank, since that's your element-"

* * *

"…And poof! Instant teleportation courtesy of us dogs," Pakkun explained. Urushi barked something in the back, and an evil smirk crossed Pakkun's face. "Good idea, Urushi. Why don't you go ahead?"

Urushi barked and sat back onto his haunches, using his dexterous paws to form the required seals. Then, there was a poof of smoke.

* * *

"Now, how about we spar? You need to work on your left hand side anyways," Kakashi said, procuring a book that Obito had sent along to him as a joke; _Icha Icha Paradise_ (he had requested more).

Harry flushed (having been read one of the more…romantic parts), and leapt at Kakashi, who was already engrossed in the orange book.

However, a spike of chakra caused him to look up from his book in alarm, because it was _more _chakra than Harry could _produce_-

And all of a sudden, there was a puff of smoke, a startled yell, and Harry was _gone-_

"Harry?"

And then, all of a sudden, there was a roaring in Kakashi's ears, and everything went dark.

* * *

"Aauuugh!" Obito jumped at the unfamiliar voice, and when the smoke cleared, a boy with messy black hair, glasses, green eyes, and a lightning-bolt scar sat there, staring around nervously.

Naruto stopped in the middle of his jutsu, Obito stared, and Sasuke procured a hidden kunai.

The unfamiliar boy muttered something in an unfamiliar language, before Urushi cackled. The boy's green eyes snapped to the dog, and he yelled, "YOU!" before tackling the dog.

Obito watched in stunned silence as the two rolled about on the ground, one of them growling threats and demanding to know what the hell Urushi had done, before Obito turned to Pakkun.

"What-?" he began, but Pakkun stopped him before he could get his question out.

"How're you doing, brat?"

"Just peachy," the boy growled, shoving Urushi (plus Guruko and Shiba, who had joined in) off of him. He looked around, and spotted Obito, Naruto, and Sasuke all staring at him, and his eyes narrowed upon seeing the kunai in Sasuke's hand.

He took a step back, and procured his own kunai, holding it in a well-developed defensive position, one that looked oddly familiar.

Obito frowned and folded his arms. "Who are you?"

The boy frowned back in reply. "Where am I?" he shot back, not answering Obito's question.

"You're in Konohagakure, the best village in the world!" Naruto proclaimed before Obito could stop him.

There was a distinct '_slap!'_ sound, from Sasuke smacking his forehead in disbelief at the blonde's stupidity.

The boy's green eyes widened before he slowly relaxed. "Pakkun?" he asked the pug, and Pakkun grinned.

"He's right. Welcome to Konoha," the dog said.

"How'd I get here?" the boy demanded, turning on the pug. "Did you have something to do with this? Because Kakashi's going to throw a fit if he finds out that I've been dragged all the way out here-"

Obito's brain stopped working at his dead teammate's name. But he snapped out of it when the boy (who could only be Harry) continued on.

"-In fact, he's probably having a panic attack right now! Remember that time when he summoned you guys to find me, and you pretended to not be able to sniff me out? Do you want a repeat of that?"

"Wait a minute, Kakashi?" Obito asked, dazed. "You're Harry?"

"What?" Harry whirled around (apparently, he forgot that Obito and the others were still there during his lecture), before his eyebrows rose as everything clicked. "You're Obito?"

"Nice to meet you," Obito said, holding out a hand. Harry put his kunai away before shaking the extended appendage.

"Wait a minute, how do you two know each other?" Naruto demanded, while Sasuke frowned as he tried to figure everything out.

"Not now, Naruto," Obito said dismissively. "Wait, so how did you get here?"

"I have no bloody clue," Harry grumbled, glancing over and giving the pug a dirty look. "One minute I was sparring, and the next minute I knew, I was being sucked here."

"That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, running up and looking up at the black-haired boy. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Harry smiled in reply. "Sounds cool," he replied, if not a little warily. "I'm Potter Harry."

"Nice to meet you! And that's Uchiha Sasuke-teme. Don't listen to him, he's a bastard," Naruto confided in what he thought was a low voice, but everyone heard, and Sasuke shouted angrily back, "Dobe!"

Obito clapped a hand over Naruto's mouth before the fight could escalate, and Harry's brow furrowed. "Uchiha Sasuke? As in, one of the survivors?"

Sasuke's face darkened, and Obito's mouth twisted into a grimace. "Yeah. He's banned from any ninja training until he gives up his head of revenge."

Harry nodded, before glancing around sheepishly. "It's nice meeting you all, but I really need to figure out a way to get back," he said apologetically. "I've heard all about you, and I'd love to talk to you, but I'm sure Kakashi…well…""He's probably flipping a lid, right? I wouldn't be surprised if he passed out from sheer relief once you get back." Obito paused. "…_If_ you get back."

"Neh, Harry, where're you from? You could stay with me for now if it's too far away!" offered Naruto, ever excited to make a new friend.

Harry grimaced. "Billions of miles away. Which makes me confused as to how I got here so fast."

"Just a reverse summoning," Pakkun replied. "We can-"

Pakkun cut himself off with a sharp growl, and Obito tensed right before two ANBU operatives appeared next to Harry and seized the boy by the shoulders.

"Harry?" Naruto exclaimed, and Obito frowned at the two ANBU.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, and one of the ANBU shrugged.

"We have been keeping an eye on the Uchiha, by order of the Hokage," he said. "We believe that this boy is a threat to our village."

"He was dragged here through the use of the dog summoning contract," Obito replied flatly, giving the ANBU a fierce glare.

The other ANBU answered, "While that is true, he is not affiliated with this village. We are taking him to Ibiki's cell for questioning."

Obito paled slightly. He knew what would happen to the boy if he was brought to Ibiki. Kakashi would come back from the grave (literally) and murder him if anything happened to his charge.

"Wait, take him to the Hokage," Obito said, squaring his shoulders. "I'll explain everything then."

The ANBU hesitated, before nodding consent.

"We will be keeping a strict eye on him for any funny moves," warned the first ANBU operative, and the three of them disappeared in a swirl of smoke and leaves. The nin dogs gathered for a moment, conversing in low tones, before simultaneously barking and disappearing as well.

"Ano sa, what's going to happen to Harry?" **(1)** Naruto asked, worried and nervous. Even Sasuke looked a little pale at the implications of what would happen to their new acquaintance.

Obito ran a hand through his head. "Naruto, Sasuke, I need you two to go back to the apartment. Naruto, show Sasuke where it is; I don't think he remembers." Sasuke glared at Obito, but it was a half-hearted attempt, and Obito ignored it. "I'll be right back."

And he darted out of the clearing.

* * *

Kakashi groaned. He felt like every pore in his body was on fire, but it was gradually fading. He stirred for a moment, and then opened his eye.

He then shot up into a sitting position, staring at the buildings around him.

"No…it can't be," he muttered, getting to his feet. He was in an alley. A very familiar alley. Slowly, he stepped out and stared at the bustling street before him.

"How the hell did I get to Konoha?"

* * *

**So…yes, Harry does now have the dog contract, because reverse summoning only works on those that have the summon's contract. **

**Exciting, isn't it? Harry's been arrested, and Kakashi finds himself in Konoha. I wonder what's going to happen next…?**

**(1) Ano sa: It's something that Naruto says a lot; it's basically a phrase used when someone's stalling to figure out the proper way to phrase a sentence. Naruto uses this a lot (from what I've heard). **

**Next time I update will probably be in between New Year's Day and the third of January (but don't count on it). **

**Now, you see that little button down at the bottom of the page? Yes, that one? You know, you should click on it…**

**Posted: 12/17/2011, 4:26 PM  
**


	6. Ruled by Secrecy

**D3ath: OVER 100 REVIEWS! THANKS A TON YOU GUYS! And a shout-out to **_**titpuce86**_**, who was the 100****th**** reviewer! **

**Also, a special thank-you for **_**darienc61**_** and **_**JuMiKu**_** for info and help! And **_**Ochibi and Urufu**_**, you seriously made my day with your review. I think that's probably the funniest one I've seen so far. XD**

**I also like how you guys keep trying to guess how others can see Kakashi. If you look back to chapter one, you might see a clue as to how it's possible…**

**Disclaimer: Petunia Dursley could never figure out why her Hydrangeas never grew properly…**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Kakashi peered out of the alley, contemplating what he should do. Somehow, he was back in Konoha, and he still had yet to determine whether this was a good thing or not.

It was nice, seeing the familiar sights, hearing the familiar sounds, and smelling the familiar smells, but…

…Why did he feel like he was an enemy nin here?

Cautiously, he stepped out, curious about whether he would be seen here or not without a henge.

When no one even paused to look at him, or even notice as he stepped uncomfortably close to a nearby vegetable seller, he decided that he was in the clear.

Now, he needed to focus on his next problem. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was Harry getting dragged back, like he was being summoned-

Kakashi's eye widened, before his expression fell flat.

"I'm going to kill those dogs," he growled to himself, and he began to hurry through the village. He needed to find Obito, for who else would be summoning dogs here? And who else would be learning about a reverse summoning?

He began to run through the streets, trying to remember where Obito lived. _'He was kicked out of the Uchiha estate, not to mention the entire clan was murdered…his own apartment? He was living with sensei before he died…right! Maybe there!'_ He took a right at the next intersection, and he began heading over to Minato's old apartment.

However, as he turned onto the street that Minato's apartment resided, he came face-to-face with an old, familiar face. One that was odd, seeing as how the person was much older than he remembered.

He tried to slow to a stop, but he ended up scrambling _through_ the surprised Maito Gai, who shuddered at the sensation and whirled around, drawing a kunai.

Kakashi held his breath as Gai scanned the street intently, no longer the goofy genin he was back when they were both twelve. Right now, he was a deadly killer, and he was looking for a target.

However, after a moment, Gai frowned suspiciously, put his kunai away, and continued on his way, still glancing about warily.

Kakashi released a small sigh of relief, and turned back to his destination.

He approached the door carefully, before picking the lock and peering inside. From both the scents and sounds, there was no one there, and hadn't been for at least the day. With a frown, Kakashi headed to the next place he knew Obito would be with their summons: the training fields.

* * *

Obito paced the area outside the Hokage's tower, trying to come up with a good-enough excuse for Harry's appearance, training, and lack of affiliation with a village.

He decided to stick with the reverse summoning part, because not only had the ANBU seen that, but it was the most logical excuse that he could come up with on a short notice. However, Harry's background and skill level could not be explained in a similar matter, so Obito was now stuck.

"Maybe I could tell the Hokage that Harry's a distant relative of Kakashi's or something!" he muttered gleefully to himself, before smacking himself in the forehead and shaking his head. "No, Obito, that's a bad idea. You'll probably succeed in making yourself look like an idiot in front of the Hokage, and Harry shipped to the T and I department."

"You're already an idiot," said a voice from next to him.

"Shut up, Kakashi. You're not helping," Obito replied absentmindedly before freezing and slowly rotating.

Kakashi scowled up at him, folding his arms. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Obito," he said darkly.

However, Obito's mind had suddenly rebooted, and he leapt forward, shouting aloud in joy. "Kaka-oomph!" He had seized the dead teen in a hug, only to receive a sharp blow to the abdomen, making the former Uchiha let go and double over with a wheeze.

Kakashi folded his arms again, his single eye glittering darkly. "I'd like it if you don't go shouting my name, thank you very much," he commented sourly. "Also, what the hell did you do to Harry?"

Obito straightened, gasping for air. "_I_ didn't do it, the dogs did," he refuted, rubbing his abdomen. "Geez, did you stop training at _all?_ Because you're dead, you can afford to take a break once in a while."

Kakashi ignored him. "So why is he in the Hokage's tower, then?" he asked in a clipped, no-nonsense tone, and Obito winced.

"The ANBU were watching Sasuke, in case he regressed into mental instability or something," he replied. "Anyways, they saw Harry and arrested him. I promised I'd explain everything to the Hokage, but…" He studied Kakashi. "Y'know, you look exactly the same. I thought you'd at least look _taller_, but I guess you're still the shrimp you were when you died-ack!" Obito dodged another punch. "Alright, alright! I get it! Geez…" he grumbled when Kakashi folded his arms for a third time, "I thought you'd at least lighten up or _something_, especially with a kid like Harry in your care."

"So, what were you planning on telling the Hokage?" Kakashi asked. "Because from what I've heard so far, it sounds pretty pathetic."

Obito flushed. "Hey, I'm trying! I was never good at coming up with stuff like this."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Obviously," he drawled, and Obito's mismatched eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "You've never heard me come up with a story before!"

"No, because I've heard your pathetic excuses until they made my ears bleed," Kakashi deadpanned in return.

"Hey! They weren't that bad! I-" protested Obito, but Kakashi cut him off.

"We have something more important on hand, Obito!" he snapped. "Or did you forget about Harry?"

"Crap!" yelped Obito, before he raced into the tower.

Kakashi stood there for a moment, dumbfounded by Obito's apparent lack of thought, before he smacked himself in face and hurried after the dark-haired adult, his friend despite the fact that Kakashi couldn't fathom _why_ he considered the former Uchiha one.

* * *

Harry sat nervously in the Hokage's office, squirming a little under the Hokage's intense stare. Despite being trained to Chuunin level, he was still a ten-year-old at heart, and he still had a hard time sitting perfectly still for long durations of time.

"You said your name was Potter Harry, am I correct?" asked Sarutobi Hiruizen, steepling his fingers in front of him. Harry nodded, a little frightened. "Your name sounds like it comes from the outer countries, the ones past the barrier."

Harry started a little, his green eyes wide behind his glasses. "You know about them?" he asked, a little surprised, before he remembered his situation and clammed up. Sarutobi chuckled at the reaction. It seemed that Harry, no matter how trained he was, still let his curiosity override his shinobi instincts. Whoever trained this boy would have to work on that.

"I traveled there a few times," he told the black-haired boy mildly. "I met some very interesting people, I guess you could say."

Harry nodded, lapsing back into silence.

The Hokage studied the boy from under his hat. The boy bore a distinct Konoha accent, which was a little odd, considering how he'd never heard of the boy before. Not only that, he had been speaking with Obito, according to the ANBU, and both of them seemed a little familiar with each other. Not only that, but the boy was brought by a reverse summoning through the dog contract, and seemed intimately acquainted with the dogs, even going so far as to tackle them upon arrival.

The Hokage's eyes narrowed. _Very_ interesting…

There was a knock on the door, and Harry jumped a little, startled by the sudden noise, and the Hokage cleared his throat. "Yes?" he called.

"Obito-san is here to see you, Hokage-sama," a feminine voice replied, just as the door opened to admit the dark-haired adult.

The Hokage noticed that Harry's eyes zeroed in on a point next to Obito's shoulder, his eyes growing wide before he gave a small nod. The boy returned his attention to the desk before him, his mouth twisting downward in a nervous frown.

'_I wonder what could have caused that reaction_,' the Hokage mused, before turning to his secretary, who was standing behind the jounin. "Thank you, I'll handle it from here." The secretary bowed, and shut the door, the click of her heels fading away as she returned to her desk.

"Sit," the Hokage gestured, waving his hand towards an empty seat next to Harry. "And perhaps you can tell me why I shouldn't send this boy to the Torture and Interrogation department."

Harry's eyes widened, and he looked at Obito with something akin to hope and fear.

Obito nodded curtly. "Yes, Hokage-sama. As you may have guessed, Harry-kun was brought here via reverse summoning."

The older man nodded, and Obito felt it safe to continue. "It was a practical joke on the dogs' part, Hokage-sama," he said, flushing a little. "They wanted to show me how a reverse summoning went, and well…they summoned Harry here."

"That doesn't explain very much," said the Hokage sternly. Obito cringed slightly.

"I know," he said worriedly.

"So how did you know who he was? Because the records state that he has never been here before, and judging from his reactions, he comes from the countries outside the elemental countries' border." Harry cringed, and his head jolted aside like he had been smacked by an invisible force. Judging from the slightly sour expression on the boy's face, and his hand darting up to rub his head, he had been. Sarutobi frowned even more. "That also doesn't explain how he got the dog contract, considering how your interaction proved that you two know each other in passing, but have never met each other face to face."

Obito's shoulders slumped. "How can I not send him to the T and I?" he asked, unsure. "Because he's a good kid, really. And he means no harm to this village or its secrets."

The Hokage eyed one of his best ANBU sternly. "You can tell me the truth."

Obito pushed his goggles up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, before sighing and nodding. "Fine," he said, sitting up and glancing around the room. His hands blurred for a moment, forming a jutsu, and the Hokage nodded as the room glowed with privacy seals. "But Hatake Kakashi probably would be able to explain it better than I can."

Sarutobi frowned. "Hatake Kakashi? He died nine years ago, Obito." Then his eyes widened, and he half-stood in his chair. "Unless you're implying that Kakashi never died?" he demanded, and Obito grimaced.

"Well, he did. Kind of," Obito amended.

"Kind of? Explain," ordered the Hokage.

"This here, is Hatake Kakashi, son of Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha," introduced Obito, gesturing to his left.

And to Sarutobi's shock, Kakashi materialized before them.

The Hokage stared, before sinking slowly down into his chair. "Explain. Now," he ordered, massaging his temples and wishing he had a cup of sake. Or aspirin. Or both combined.

Either way, he had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Harry smiled shakily at Kakashi, who glowered in reply. He knew he was in major trouble for this, even if most of it wasn't his fault. He blamed the dogs. And Obito, since the dogs were teaching him about reverse summoning.

Kakashi had just finished his explanation, and the Hokage was sitting at his desk and staring pensively at a stack of paper next to him.

"…Hokage-sama?" Obito asked tentatively, and the Hokage sighed heavily, sinking back into his chair.

"Of all the things that had to happen…" he grumbled, before looking up at Kakashi. "And it's a bit of a shock, seeing you like you haven't aged a day. Makes me feel older than I should be, especially with Obito next to you looking as old as you _should _be." The Hokage shook his head. "I won't send the boy to the T and I," he said, and Obito's face lit up. "But on one condition," he finished, and the smile on Obito's face dropped like a dead fly.

"What's the condition?" asked Kakashi stoically, looking as emotionless as he did back when he was still alive. It still bothered the hell out of the Hokage, but there wasn't much he could do about Kakashi's state of existence.

"That Harry become an official shinobi of the village," Sarutobi stated. "That means he is required to come here for the Chuunin exams, and undergo extensive evaluation on his abilities whenever he is here. He won't go to the T and I, but he will still have to be investigated by Yamanaka Inoichi. It also means that you'll have to send me a report once a month on his activities, Kakashi."

Obito deflated, his eyebrows creasing. "Hey, at least you won't be tortured," he assured the boy, who was looking more frightened than ever.

Kakashi smacked his teammate in the back of his head, muttering, "Idiot."

"Am I understood?" asked the Hokage, and all three nodded. He smiled. "Very good. Harry, once you are finished, you will be allowed to return home, understood? I'll make you a genin, but when the Chuunin exams come around in three months, you will be required to participate, understood?" he asked, and Harry nodded, before turning to Kakashi and whispering, "Are they hard?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, not for someone of your skill level," he murmured reassuringly to the boy. Sarutobi smiled.

"Very well. Dismissed. Obito, Kakashi, make sure Harry gets everything taken care of," he said, and the two jounin nodded.

They all stood and bowed to the Hokage, Harry quickly mimicking the two older males' actions. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage slumped into his seat again once they were all gone. "I swear it wasn't this crazy when Minato was still alive…" he grumbled to himself, making a note to ask his secretary for aspirin.

* * *

Several hours later found Obito, Kakashi, Harry, Naruto, and Sasuke standing in training field three, with Kakashi and Obito arguing quietly while Harry showed Naruto and Sasuke his new headband.

"_No_, Obito, for the last time, you're not allowed to summon Harry every week just so you can hang out with him! He's supposed to be attending school! How is he going to explain it if he's suddenly missing classes?"

Obito sulked. "Fine, how about on weekends?"

"No, and that's final. I'll send Pakkun over with a note when he is available, and _only_ when he needs to participate in something here, got it? Because people are going to notice if he disappears for hours on end, _especially_ his family. Got it?"

"Fine…" They both looked over at the dark-haired boy, who was smiling and giggling at something Naruto had shouted, while Sasuke was trying (and failing) to hide a small smile.

"He's a cute kid."

"Shut up, Obito."

"By the way," asked Obito suddenly, "How'd you find me earlier?"

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask, his eye crinkling at the motion. "I spotted Naruto and Sasuke as I was leaving your apartment, and I had seen Maito Gai earlier today, so I henged as him and asked them where I could find you."

Obito's eye twitched. "You've seen him, then? Kami-sama, I hope you weren't scarred for life."

Kakashi shook his head, looking a little thoughtful. "Actually, no. To be honest, he hasn't changed much, except for the bright orange leg warmers and the vest."

Pakkun appeared between them, wilting a little under the glare he received from Kakashi. "Yo-um, boss. We're ready to do the reverse summoning again."

Kakashi nodded. He hefted the heavy backpack he carried higher onto his shoulder, not wanting to drop it. "Whenever you're ready, Pakkun." The backpack held all of Kakashi's personal belongings, such as the white chakra blade that belonged to his father, photo albums, and other little mementos that Obito had held onto for him.

"Harry," Obito called. "Time to say goodbye. They're ready to do the summoning."

Harry nodded, and gave Naruto and Sasuke a weak smile, bidding them goodbye. While he wasn't tortured, the interrogation still left Harry a little on the jumpy side. He didn't like the feeling of someone rifling through his head.

There was an influx of chakra, and Kakashi watched Harry disappear. He raised a hand in a silent goodbye to Obito, before his entire world went dark again.

Obito looked forlornly at the spot that Kakashi used to be in before sighing and striding up to Naruto and Sasuke. He pasted a shit-eating smile, and asked, "Who's up for ramen?"

The response he got from Naruto was deafening.

* * *

**D3ath: So, a bit of a shorter chapter there, but still good, ne? I hope you guys were satisfied with the little Konoha arc. I figured that out of the entire situation, Harry will still be penalized somewhat, so right now, the Hokage's going to be keeping a tight leash on both Kakashi and Harry, before someone else gets an eye (or multiple eyes) on them (coughDANZOcough). **

**Also, any guesses on the three ways Kakashi can be seen? Cyber-cookies for the first person to get 'em all! :)  
**

**Up next! Chuunin exams and Hagrid! But beware of my sporadic updating schedule!**

**Posted: 1/17/2012, 11:10 PM**


End file.
